The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume IV.Cibber, Theophilus
General
The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume IV.
Cibber, Theophilus
Poets, English -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Poets, Irish -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
Cibber informs us, that this was only a
pretence, and that the true reason of quitting the stage, was,
his dislike to another of the managers, whose humour was become
insupportable. This person we conjecture to have been Mr. Wilks, who,
according to Cibber's account, was capricious in his temper, though
he had otherwise great merit as a player, and was a good man, morally
considered; some instances of the generosity and noble spirit of
Wilks, are taken notice of in the life of Farquhar.
A few years after Mr. Booth rose to the dignity of manager, he married
the celebrated Miss Santlowe, who, from her first appearance as an
actress in the character of the Fair Quaker of Deal, to the time she
quitted the stage, had always received the strongest marks of public
applause, which were repeated when after a retreat of some years, she
appeared there again. By her prudence in managing the advantages
that arose to her from her reputation as an actress, and her great
diligence in her profession, she acquired a considerable fortune,
which was very useful to Mr. Booth, who, from the natural turn of
his temper, though he had a strict regard to justice, was not much
inclined to saving.
During the few years they lived together, there was the greatest
harmony between them, and after the death of Booth, his disconsolate
widow, who is yet alive, quitted the stage, and devoted herself
entirely to a private course of life. By degrees the health of Mr.
Booth began to decline, so that it was impossible for him to continue
to act with so much diligence as usual, but at whatever time he was
able to return to the stage, the town demonstrated their respect
for him by crowding the house. Being attacked by a complication of
distempers, he paid the debt to nature May 10, 1733. A copy of his
Will was printed in the London Magazine for 1733, p. 126, in which
we find he testified his esteem for his wife, to whom he left all his
fortune, for reasons there assigned, which he declared amounted to no
more than two thirds of what he had received from her on the day of
marriage. His character as an actor, has been celebrated by the best
judges, and was never questioned by any. And here we cannot resist the
opportunity of shewing Mr. Booth in that full, and commanding light in
which he is drawn by the late ingenious Aaron Hill, esq; who had long
experience in the affairs of the stage, and could well distinguish the
true merits of an actor. His words are,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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