of Romeo, no one more conscious of its entire unworthiness
of Miss Kemble’s Juliet; but all I can say is,
that I do not act the part by my own choice, and shall
be delighted to resign it to either of you who may
feel more capable than I am of doing it justice.”
The young gentlemen, though admiring me “not
wisely, but too well,” were good-hearted fellows,
and were struck with the manly and moderate tone of
Mr. Abbot’s rebuke, and shocked at having unintentionally
wounded the feelings of a person who (except as Romeo),
was every way deserving of their respect. Of course
they could not swallow all their foolish words, and
Abbot bowed and was gone before they could stutter
an apology. I have no doubt that his next appearance
as Romeo was hailed with some very cordial, remorseful
applause, addressed to him personally as some relief
to their feelings, by my indiscreet partisans.
My friend G——, not very long after
this theatrical passion of his, became what is sometimes
called “religious,” and had thoughts of
going into the Church, and giving up the play-house.
He confided to my mother, who was his mother’s
intimate friend, and of whom he was very fond, his
conscientious scruples, which she in no wise combated;
though she probably thought more moderation in going
to the theater, and a little more self-control when
there, might not, in any event, be undesirable changes
in his practice, whether his taking holy orders cut
him off entirely from what was then his principal pleasure,
or not. One night, when the venerable Prebend
of St. Paul’s, her old friend, Dr. Hughes, was
in her box with her, witnessing my performance (which
my mother never failed to attend), she pointed out
G——,
scrimmaging about, as
usual, in his wonted place in the pit, and said, “There
is a poor lad who is terribly disturbed in his own
mind about the very thing he is doing at this moment.
He is thinking of going into the Church, and more
than half believes that he ought to give up coming
to the play.” “That depends, I should
say,” replied dear old Dr. Hughes, “upon
his own conviction in the matter, and nothing else;
meantime, pray give him my compliments, and tell him
I have enjoyed the performance to-night extremely.”
Mr. Abbot was in truth not a bad actor, though a perfectly
uninteresting one in tragedy; he had a good figure,
face, and voice, the carriage and appearance of a
well-bred person, and, in what is called genteel comedy,
precisely the air and manner which it is most difficult
to assume, that of a gentleman. He had been in
the army, and had left it for the stage, where his
performances were always respectable, though seldom
anything more. Wanting passion and expression
in tragedy, he naturally resorted to vehemence to
supply their place, and was exaggerated and violent
from the absence of all dramatic feeling and imagination.
Moreover, in moments of powerful emotion he was apt
to become unsteady on his legs, and always filled
me with terror lest in some of his headlong runs and