Mrs. Oldfield figures prominently among the poets, wits, and dramatists who shed such literary lustre upon the reigns of Queen Anne and her successor. The first representative of the heroines of Vanbrugh and Farquhar, Cibber, Steele, and Rowe, she was by-andby to lend assistance to the poet Savage in his most necessitous moments, and to take part in the production, in 1713, of the famous "Cato" of Addison. She was the dramatist's Marcia; she even presumed to suggest to him alterations in the text of her part, and was so audaciously noisy at rehearsal, laughing loudly and calling out merrily to the prompter, "What next? what next?" that Dr. Swift, watching the performance from the wings, spoke of her rancorously as "the drab that played Cato's daughter." In the character of Marcia she delivered the epilogue written for the occasion by Dr. Garth. She was, three years later, the Lady Truman, in Addison's unsuccessful comedy "The Drummer, or the Haunted House." Savage perhaps had little real title to her benevolence, except in regard to the hopeless state of indigence into which he had fallen. He is now somewhat contemptuously considered; even his claim to be the son of the Countess of Macclesfield is often viewed as fraudulent; but it is certain that his writings and pretensions were highly esteemed by the men of letters of his time. Johnson's statement that the actress allowed the poet "a settled pension of fifty pounds ayear" has been contradicted, but it has not been questioned that she afforded him much pecuniary relief. At her death he is said to have worn mourning as for a mother, by way of exhibiting his gratitude "in the most decent manner;" while in order that Mrs. Oldfield's good actions might not be sullied by her general conduct, Johnson holds it proper to cite Mr. Savage's frequent declaration in the strongest terms, "that he never saw her alone or in any other place than behind the scenes." Johnson further asserts that Savage did not celebrate the actress in his elegies for the rather squeamish reason that he might appear to approve faults" which his natural equity did not allow him to think less because they were committed by one who favoured him; but of which, though his virtue would not allow him to palliate them, his gratitude would not suffer him to prolong the memory or diffuse the censure." In Chetwood's "History of the Stage," however, there appeared a poem attributed to Savage, which lauds the departed actress in the most unconditional manner. Not only are her more physical qualities celebrated, when the poet sighs to paint her as she was—-- The form divine, M 2 A mien majestic as the wife of Jove, but abundant tribute is paid to her moral and social excellence : A soul with every elegance refined By Nature and the converse of Mankind: A friend to all in misery she stood, And her chief Pride was placed in doing good. Further passages relate to her professional triumphs; the muse is invoked to celebrate the look and action, voice and mien, of the actress, whether as "gay coquette, soft maid, or haughty queen," and the poet proceeds : So bright she shone in every different part, She claims our mirth or triumphs in our tears, &c. &c. The biography by Egerton contains a poetical epistle to Mrs. Oldfield "by Mr. Savage, son of the late Earl Rivers, occasioned by her playing Cleopatra in 'All for Love."" Mrs. Oldfield was also much complimented by Steele in his "Tatler"-for, to do Steele and Addison justice, they were never loth to employ their journals in flattering, even in puffing, their friends. The actress was understood to be the Flavia of "Tatler " No. 212, described as ever well dressed and always the genteelest woman you meet, but the make of her mind very much contributes to the ornament of her body. She has the greatest simplicity of manner of any of her sex. This makes every thing look native about her, and her clothes are so exactly fitted that they appear as it were part of her person. Everyone that sees her knows her to be of quality; but her distinction is owing to her manner and not to her habit. Her beauty is full of attraction, but not of allurement," &c. It is to be said, however, that this portrait has often been thought to resemble more closely another lady: the Miss Osborne who afterwards became the wife of Bishop Atterbury. In "Tatler" No. 239 Steele republished the copy of verses he held," without flattery to the author," to be "as beautiful in its kind as any one in the English tongue": Flavia the least and slightest toy Directs its wanton motions so, That it wounds more than Cupid's bow; To every other breast a flame. Of these lines Dr. Atterbury was the author, and Mrs. Oldfield was supposed to be the lady they celebrated. Mrs. Oldfield's best successes were obtained in comedy. Sometimes, indeed, she professed to despise tragedy. "I hate," she would say, "to have a page dragging my tail about. Why do they not give Porter these parts? She can put on a better tragedy face than I can." The tragedy heroines of those days invariably, it may be noted, wore long trains, which, as they strutted and fretted about the stage, it behoved a page to carry about after them hither and thither. There may have been something of pique in this exclamation. Mrs. Porter-the admired of Horace Walpole-was unquestionably the finer performer of tragedy. According to Chetwood, however, Mrs. Oldfield was "much better reconciled to tragedy" after her appearance as Semandra in Lee's "Mithridates, King of Pontus," and this was at Drury Lane in 1708, comparatively early in her career. It was with difficulty she was prevailed upon to undertake the part, "but she performed it to the utmost length of perfection." Chetwood further applauds her "majestical figure" as Cleopatranot Shakespeare's, but Dryden's, in "All for Love," or Cibber's in "Cæsar in Egypt,” a tragedy compiled from Beaumont and Fletcher and Corneille-and narrates that he was wont to shrink with awe at her performance of Calista in "The Fair Penitent;" "her excellent clear voice of passion, her piercing flaming eyes, with manner and action suiting," &c. She was also much admired as Andromache in Ambrose Philips's tragedy of "The Distressed Mother," borrowed from Racine. The author's friends filled the house and greatly exerted themselves to promote the success of the play. Before its appearance, as Johnson has recorded, "a whole 'Spectator,' none indeed of the best, was devoted to its praise; while it yet continued to be acted, another 'Spectator' was written to tell what impression it made upon Sir Roger," &c. In Philips's "Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester," founded upon the Second Part of Shakespeare's "King Henry the Sixth," Mrs. Oldfield played Queen Margaret, and in Aaron Hill's version of "King Henry the Fifth" she personated the Princess Catherine. These appear to have been the only Shakespearian parts the actress ever essayed: Shakespeare was little in vogue in Queen Anne's age. The last new character undertaken by Mrs. Oldfield was that of the heroine of Thomson's "Sophonisba," a tragedy which had so stirred expectation that, as Johnson relates, "every rehearsal was dignified with a splendid audience, collected to anticipate the delight that was prepar ing for the public." The work obtained only a lukewarm reception, however. It was observed that "nobody was much affected, and that the company rose as from a moral lecture." Nevertheless, Mrs. Oldfield's Sophonisba seems to have made a profound impression on the audience. Thomson avowed that she had excelled what "even in the fondness of an author" he could either have wished or imagined; and especially he commended "the grace, dignity, and happy variety of her action." It is told that she delivered the line, Not one base word of Carthage, on thy soul! with such grandeur of action, a look so tremendous, and a voice so powerful, that the audience were greatly moved and rewarded her exertions with extraordinary applause. It was her last season on the stage. According to Chetwood, her efforts and anxieties as Sophonisba hastened her decease. He writes: "In her execution she went beyond wonder to astonishment, and from that time her decay came slowly on till it conducted her to eternal rest the 23rd of October, 1730." But her health had for some years been seriously declining. Her natural cheerfulness of disposition and a strong volition had supported her under very trying conditions. "Many times when she has been playing a part, and received the universal applause of an audience, the tears have fallen from her cheeks with the anguish of pain she felt." This queen of comedy and of tragedy was buried with something like royal honours. Her body was borne from her house in Grosvenor Street-some years before she had resided in Southampton Street, Strand-to the Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster, where it lay in state, to be presently conveyed to the Abbey for interment, the pall being supported by Lords Delawar and Hervey, the Right Honourable Bubb Doddington, afterwards Lord Melcombe, Charles Hedges and Walter Carey, Esquires, and Captain Elliot. The funeral service was performed by the Reverend Dr. Barker, senior prebendary then resident, who stated rather vaguely "that he buried Mrs. Oldfield very willingly and with the greatest satisfaction." Her friends hastened to provide in her honour Latin and English epitaphs; but no monument or inscription denotes her resting-place. In life she had been famed for the taste and choiceness of her dress : "Oldfield's petticoat" had been celebrated by Pope in connection. with "Quin's high plume;" after her death she was arrayed by her confidential friend and pupil, Mrs. Saunders, the actress, with special care and even something of elegance. Her biographer writes, "She had on a very fine Brussels lace-head, a holland shift with tucker and double ruffles of the same lace, a pair of new kid gloves, and her body wrapped up in a winding-sheet." The Woollen Act had prescribed the use of woollen shrouds. In his Moral Essays Pope wrote the familiar lines :— "Odious in woollen! 'twould a saint provoke !" It is not questioned that the allusion was to poor Mrs. Oldfield. One's sympathies, however, are rather with the dying actress, the beautiful woman cherishing her beauty to the last, than with the satirist and jester who could choose such a moment for scoffing and jingling his bells. But, as Davies suggests, "Pope seems to have prosecuted the name of player with a malignancy unworthy of his genius." Mrs. Oldfield's charms of person and of manner, her wit, her liveliness, and above all, perhaps, her social success, seem to have been specially hateful to the viperous poet. In his "Art of Sinking in Poetry" he stigmatised her conversation by the term. "Oldfieldismos," printed in Greek characters, attributing to her great levities and improprieties of speech. And he further aspersed the lady in the lines : Engaging Oldfield: who with grace and ease Could join the arts to ruin and to please. Mrs. Oldfield was the first actress who succeeded in conquering for herself a place in society. She became, we are told, "a welcome and constant visitor to families of distinction." But the times were dissolute; it was not to be supposed that she presented a very clean moral bill of health, so to speak. She was accepted in spite of her frailties by women hardly less frail than herself, only they had the |