of whofe humours perpetual laughter is produced.

Helen's scheme, of gaining her husband's affections by paffing on him for a mistress, has been adopted with fuccefs by other dramatifts; particularly by Shirley in the Gamefter, and Cibber in his first comedy of Love's last Shift.

All's well that ends well, after having lain more than a hundred years undisturbed upon the prompter's fhelf, was, in October, 1741, revived at the theatre in Drury-lane. Milward, who acted the King, is faid to have caught a diftemper which proved fatal to him, by wearing, in this part, a too light and airy fuit of clothes, which he put on after his fuppofed recovery. He felt himself seized with a shivering; and was asked, by one of the players, how he found himself? How is it poffible for me,' he faid, with some pleasantry, to be fick, when I have such a physician as Mrs. Woffington?' This elegant and beautiful actress was the Helen of the play.

His diftemper, however, increased, and foon after hurried him to his

grave.

So pleafing an actor as Milward deferves more than a flight remembrance. In the Memoirs of Garrick's Life, I fpoke of him as one who was not without a great share of merit, but was too apt to indulge himfelf in fuch an extenfion of voice as approached to vociferation. He prided himfelf so much in the harmony and sweetness of his tones, that he was heard to say, in a kind of rapture, after throwing out fome paffionate fpeeches in a favourite part, that he wished he could falute the fweet echo, meaning his voice. His Lufignań, in Zara, was not much inferior to Mr. Garrick's reprefentation of that part. Milward chofe Booth for his model; and, notwithstanding his inferiority to that accomplished tragedian, he was the only performer in tragedy, who, if he had survived, could have approached to our great Rofcius; who, though he would always have been the first, yet, in that case, would not

have been the only, actor in tragedy. Milward died about a fortnight after Garrick's first appearance on the stage,

The part of Parolles was, by Fleetwood, the manager, promised to Macklin; but Theophilus Cibber, by fome fort of artifice, as common in theatres as in courts, fnatched it from him, to his great displeafure. Berry was the Lafeu, and Chapman the Clown and Interpreter. All's well that ends well was termed, by the players, the unfortunate comedy, from the disagreeable accidents which fell out feveral times during the acting of it. Mrs. Woffington was fuddenly taken with illness as she came off the stage from a fcene of importance. Mrs. Ridout, a pretty woman and a pleasing actress, after having played Diana one night, was, by the advice of her physician, forbidden to act during a month. Mrs. Butler, in the Countess of Roufillon, was likewise seized with a diftemper in the progrefs of this play.

All's

*

All's well that ends well, however, had fuch a degree of merit, and gave fo much general fatisfaction to the public, that, in spite of the superstition of some of the players, who wished and entreated that it might be discontinued, upon Mr. Delane's undertaking to act the King after Milward's decease, it was again brought forward and applauded,

Cibber's Parolles, notwithstanding his grimace and false spirit, met with encouragement. This actor, though his vivacity was mixed with too much pertnefs, never offended by flatness and infipidity. Chapman was admirable in the clowns of Shakspeare. Berry's Lafeu was the true portrait of a choleric old man and a humourist. Milward was, in the King, affecting; and Delane, in the fame part, refpectable.

Under the direction of Mr. Garrick, in 1757, All's well that ends well was again revived. Mrs. Pritchard acted the Countefs; Mifs Macklin, Helen; Mrs. Davies,

Diana.

Parolles, Woodward; Lafeu, Berry; and Davies, the King. With the help of a pantomime, it was acted feveral nights.

Act I. Scene I.

BERTRAM.

I must attend his majesty's command,
To whom I am in ward.

No prerogative of the crown, in the time of the feudal fyftem, was esteemed more honourable, or was indeed more profitable, than that of wardship; nor was any part of kingly power more fubject to fraudulent abuse, to tyranny and oppreffion. So cruelly had King John, and fome of his predeceffors, exerted an undue influence over their wards, that the fourth, fifth, fixth, seventh, forty-third, and forty-fourth, articles of the great charter, are all expreffly written with an intention to restrain the power of the crown within proper limits refpecting wardships.

Helen,