1830. MAXIMS. 333 blessed be the name of God for all His mercies and goodness to me. May 11th.-Bristol- close the theatre-[for his father's widow]. [No entries-time apparently spent at home.] August 24th.-Swansea. September 3rd.-Returned home. October 6th.-Brighton (4 nights). 12th.-Liverpool (6 nights). November 16th.-Glasgow (6 nights). 6 25th. Edinburgh. Performing 'Virginius,' "Hamlet,' Macbeth,' 'Othello,' 'William Tell,' ' Cymbeline,' 'Venice Preserved,' ' King John.' [The year ends with a short Latin prayer of thanks and praise. Total receipts for 1829, £2,265 10s. 2d. Expenditure, £2,223 16s. 5d.] 1830. [In the pocket-book for 1830, commences the practice, yearly continued, and with occasional additions, of copying certain sentences and maxims for the guidance of life, into the blank leaves at the beginning of the book. In the present book occur the following:] O teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. The art of life consists very much in not suffering ourselves to be annoyed by trifles. The detail of an account is of little consequence, if the sum total is in our favour. A wise man will not stop to vex himself about petty items, but turns at once to the bottom of the page. [There are also a couple of short prescriptions of laudanum and antimonial wine for a cold; and of sal volatile as a lotion. for a relaxed throat. A list of prompt books is copied, indicating the plays in which Macready was chiefly performing during the year: Macbeth,' 'Othello,' 'Virginius,' 'Hamlet,' 'King John,' 'Coriolanus,' 'Henry VIII.,' William Tell,' 'Henry V.,' 'Werner,' 'Fatal Dowry,' 'Damon and Pythias,' 'Venice Preserved,' 'Revenge,' 'Julius Cæsar,' 'Cymbeline,' Rob Roy,' 'King Lear,' 'Jane Shore,'' As You Like It.' January 1st.- Anno ineunte, tibi, Deus, precor, tutamen, auxilium, solamenque semper mihi adsis! Revereri et amare te, O magne virtutis Spiritus! virtutemque, dum vivo, me colere, precibus meis concede. Amen.* January 11th.-Portsmouth (4 nights). 18th.-Bristol (1 week). February 5th.-Bristol again (1 night). 8th.-Bath. 15th.-Manchester (5 nights). 22nd.-Dublin. 26th. Sold my engagements at Dublin and Cork (altering the fortnight at Cork to Dublin), to Mr. Bunn for £600, to conclude on Saturday, April 3rd, to be paid £300, Saturday, March 13th, and the remaining £300 on April 13th. April 2nd.-Gave up £100 to Mr. Bunn in consequence of the ill success of the engagement. April 4th.-Saw my Catherine and Letitia sail for England. 5th.-Belfast.-[Giant's Causeway, &c. visited.] 8th.-Coleraine. 17th.-Dublin. 18th.-Sailed for England. May 8th.-Hereford (4 nights). 14th.-Ludlow (2 nights.) 31st. Birmingham (7 nights). June 8th, &c.-Lichfield, Stourbridge, Ashby. 24th.-Sponsalis dies meus. Beatum sit nomen Dei optimi, qui mihi tantam felicitatem præbuit permisitque. * With the opening year, I pray thee, O God, be with me, ever my defence, my aid, and my comfort, and grant to my prayers that I may revere and love Thee, Great Spirit of goodness; and while I live that I may seek after goodness. Amen.-ED. TRANS. 1830. BIRTH OF ELDEST DAUGHTER. 335 Auctor virtutis, omnisque boni, in me meosque caritatem tuam ostendas perennem humiliter te oro!* July 31st.-Entered into an engagement with Mr. A Lee, for three years at Drury Lane Theatre. £30 per week and half a clear benefit for the first season; £40 per week and half a clear benefit for the two following seasons. August 4th.-Went to London. Saw Sir Thomas Lawrence's gallery. August 14th.-Cork. Macbeth. Played it naturally and forcibly (8 nights). August 30th.-Yarmouth (5 nights). September 6th.-Margate (3 nights). 24th.-Leicester. 27th.-Scarborough. October 4th.-Liverpool (1 week). 11th.-Reached Elstree † from Birmingham: arrived at Elm Place. L. D. October 13th.-Open at Drury Lane. 14th. Went to London to read Werner' to Mr. Morton. Returned to Elm Place. October 15th.-Saw Mr. Ainsworth on Arteveldt. 16th. Went to London. Rehearsed Virginius.' November 15th.-Plymouth (5 nights). 17th.-Dined with Macaulay. 21st.-Arrived in London. 15th. Werner. Succeeded. L. D. December 26th.-This morning it pleased Almighty God to bless me with the gift of a beloved daughter.‡ [The professional receipts of the year 1830, are entered separately, and show a total of £1,817 15s. 7d. for thirty-nine weeks' performances in the provinces and at Drury Lane.] *My wedding day. Blessed be the name of God, who has given and permitted to me so much happiness. Author of excellence and of all good, I humbly beseech Thee to show Thy never-failing love to me and mine!-ED. TRANS. † Macready was now living at Elm Place, Elstree, on the borders of Middlesex and Hertfordshire, three miles beyond Edgware, and about thirteen miles from the two great theatres.-Ed. Christina Letitia (Nina): died 24th February, 1850.—ED. 1831. [In the blank leaves at the commencement of the pocketbook for 1831, a passage from Cicero's 'Offices' (I. 25, 28) is added to the entries of the preceding year:] Nihil laudabilius, nihil magno et præclaro viro dignius, placabilitate atque clementiâ. . . . Exercenda est etiam facilitas et altitudo animi . . . . ne, si irascamur aut intempestivè accedentibus aut impudenter rogantibus, in morositatem inutilem et odiosam incidamus.* January 16th.-Catherine comes down to dinner. Laus gratiæque Deo! January 24th.-'William Tell.' Called for by the audience. [And the same entry occurs on the 29th.] January 31st.-Bristol. Bath (1 week). February 27th.-Lodgings in Norton Street. Dine with Mr. Harley, 14, Upper Gower Street, six o'clock. February 28th.-Saw Kean in Brutus. March 2nd.-Breakfast with Fred. Reynolds. Met Bernal, Colonel Cradock, Lady Blessington, Comte and Comtesse D'Orsay. March 14th.-Macbeth. Called for by the audience. L. D. April 8th.-' Pledge.†' [New tragedy (performed 8 nights).] 11th.-Talfourd, Birch, Cooper, and Knowles supped. 23rd.-Sign 23rd. Sign Lease of Elm Place. Shakespeare's B.D. 28th. Alfred the Great ‡ (15 nights). *Nothing is more excellent, nothing more worthy of a noble and great man than forbearance and a placable disposition. We should also be mindful to observe a certain courtesy not uncombined with reserve, and to avoid anger at ill-timed visitors and impertinent requests; otherwise we incur the risk of falling into an habitual ill-humour as annoying as it is unprofitable.— ED. TRANS. †The Pledge; or, Castilian Honour,' an adaptation from Victor Hugo's 'Hernani-Macready's part was Don Leo.-ED. By Sheridan Knowles.--ED. 1831. EARLY RAILWAY TRAVELLING. 337 May 10th.-Sent excuse and donation (£5) to the Literary Fund. May 11th.-Literary Fund Dinner-Werner.' ditto. 18th.-Sent advertisements for benefit. Sent bills for May 24th.-Virginius.' Called for by the audience. L. D. 27th.-Benefit. Deus benignè adsis. 'Coriolanus,' 'Critic,' Blue Beard.' [The proceeds of the benefit appear to have been £176 28.] May 30th.-Dine with O'Hanlon* half-past 6 o'clock. 6 June 1st. Coriolanus.' Played better than first night. My friend Jackson died. Requiescat. June 2nd.-Jealous Wife.' Received a note from Captain Polhill offering £30 per week for next season. June 7th.-Dine with Talfourd quarter-past six o'clock. 9th.-Went to poor Jackson's funeral. 13th. Last night, Drury Lane. 14th.-Mr. Lee's benefit. July 1st.-Went to town. Dined with H. Smith. 2nd.-Town. Dined with Bourne. 11th. Insured my life for £2999. August 4th.-Wrote to Edward. Came to town. Saw ancient masters. Went to House of Commons. Dined H. Smith. August 8th.-Swansea (4 nights). 15th.-Leeds (6 nights). 21st. Came by coach to Manchester, and thence by railway to Liverpool in less than an hour and a half. August 22nd.-Liverpool (6 nights). September 10th.-Settled with Mr. Bunn an engagement with Captain Polhill for two years at Drury Lane Theatre, at £30 per week including Lent, with, at the same time, leave of absence during Lent and half a clear benefit. Benefit on Monday. Orders. September 14th.- Mr. Knowles undertakes to do for me scenes in 'Maid's Tragedy' for half the profits. Hugh Marmaduke O'Hanlon, afterwards counsel to the Irish Office in London.-ED. †The exhibition formerly held annually at the British Gallery, Pall Mall -on the site now occupied by the Marlborough Club.-ED. VOL. I. Ꮓ |