Mr. Macready, father of the lately deceased actor, bargained for the Roscius, and overreached himself. He thought 10_l._ a night too much! He proposed that he should deduct 60_l._ from each night’s receipts, and that Master Betty should take half of what remained. The result was that Roscius got 50_l._ nightly instead of 10_l._ The first four nights were not overcrowded, but the boy grew on the town, and at last upon the whole country. Stage-coaches were advertised specially to carry parties from various distances to the Birmingham Theatre. The highest receipt was 266_l._ to his Richard. Selim was the next. 261_l._ The lowest receipt was also to his Richard. On the first night he played it there was only 80_l._ in the house. He left Birmingham with the assurance of a local poet that he was Cooke, Kemble, Holman, Garrick, all in one. Sheffield was delighted to have him at raised prices of admission. He made his first appearance to deliver a rhymed deprecatory address, in reference to wide-cast ridicule on his being a mere boy, in which were these lines: When at our Shakespeare’s shrine my swelling heart Bursts forth and claims some kindred tear to start, Frown not, if I avow that falling tear Inspires my soul and bids me persevere. His Hamlet drew the highest sum at Sheffield, 140_l._; his Selim the lowest, 60_l._, which was just doubled when he played the same part for his own benefit. London had caught curiosity, if not enthusiasm, to see him; the Sheffield hotels became crowded with London families, and ‘Six-inside coaches to see the Young Roscius’ plied at Doncaster to carry people from the races. At Liverpool there were riots and spoliation at the box-office. At Chester wild delight. At Manchester tickets were put up to lottery. At Stockport he played morning and evening, and travelled after it all night to play at Leicester, where he also acted on some occasions twice in one day! and where every lady who could write occasional verses showered upon him a very deluge of rhyme.