having hitherto thought me too placid; that he restored me, from that moment, to his favour and I prefided the fame night at fupper, as ufual.

When I found myself perfectly re-cftablifhed in Mr. Quin's favour, I enquired of him the reafon he had treated me with fo much coolnefs, after he had affured me of his being reconciled to me, and was well convinced of my innocence and fincerity? He informed me, that my indifcretion in leaving a London theatre, after I had received fo many marks of peculiar diftinction from the public, deferved the feverest reprobation. He added, that whoever had been my adviser upon the occafion was not my friend. As I had every reason to conclude myself the favourite child of the public, he faid, they would certainly have cherifhed me; and it was treating them, as well as myfelf and him, ill, to defert them. That I could not avoid obferving the difference of my prefent fituation, and it would be a confiderable time before I recovered the height from which I had fallen. That he felt the difappointment far more than I did, as he had fet his heart upon my rivalling the women at the other house.

All the company prefent appeared to be of the fame opinion. And as Mr. Quin's obfervations feemed to carry conviction with them, I perceived that I had been very imprudent

prudent in taking fuch a ftep without his affent. I went home, more oppreffed by his friendship than I had been unhappy through his difpleasure. And I from that moment formed a refolution to atone for my paft indifcretion, by applying, with unremitted ardour, to the duties of my profeffion, and to confult my newly-recovered monitor, upon every concern of the leaft importance. G. A. B.

THE

LETTER XXX.

May 22, 17

HE next character I appeared in was that of Athenais, in "Theodofius." I had no fooner come upon the ftage, on the night of its performauce, than the first object that prefented itself to my view was Lord Byron, who had placed himself in the stage-box. The tremor I was thrown into, by feeing a perfon fo near who had been the caufe of fo much difquietude to me, entirely deprived me of all my powers, and I ftood for fome time motionless. Mr. Rich and his family, obferving from their box that I fuddenly turned pale, which was eafily difcernible from my complexion being ufually too florid, he came immediately behind the scenes to enquire the reafon of it. His Lordship had by this time quitted his feat, and placed B5

him

himself against one of the fide scenes, in fight of the audience. Mr. Rich, having let himself in by a private door from the box paffage, of which he always had a key, found his Lordship in this fituation, and was no longer at a lofs to account for my trepidation.

As Lord Byron knew that our proprietor had in his youthful days been a man of gallantry, he accofsted him with an affured look, and faid, "Well, Rich; I am come to take

away your Athenias!" Such a falutation could not fail to give offence to a perfon who had always treated me as a daughter, and who poffeffed no little fhare of perfonal courage, united with an humane difpofition. He accordingly reproved his Lordfhip, for avowing a defign of fo unjustifiable a nature, fo inconfiftent with humanity and the laws of fociety, and confequently fo much beneath the dignity of a peer. He at the fame time remonftrated with his Lordship on the cruelty of coming to alarm a young perfon, who had never given him any room to fuppofe the approved of his paffion, and who could not but be apprehenfive from his Lordship's prefent conduct. Mr. Rich then faid, in a refolute tone, "I defire, my Lord, "that you will quit the fcenes, for I cannot "ftand tamely by, and fee my performers "infulted."

His

His Lordship not chufing to refent this oppofition from the manager, so as to make a ferious affair of it, very prudently retired to his feat in the ftage-box, meditating revenge. But he was no fooner feated there, than the audience, who generally engage on the fide that humanity points out, took the alarm, and obliged his Lordship to retire from thence to the front boxes; in the back part of which he concealed himself from further infult.

Mr. Quin not playing that night, he was not at the theatre; but the next evening he was informed of the terror I had undergone. Mr. Thomfon, who had heard of it likewise, came to the house. As this gentleman paffed near the back of the stage, he heard two perfons in converfation, one of whom said to the other, "I will speak to her "to night, or I will fhoot my-—.” The remainder of the fentence Mr. Thomfon could not catch, but from the former part of it he concluded, that it could be no other than Lord Byron, thus uttering his defigns in confidence to a friend; and who, in revenge for the difgrace he had undergone the preceding night, had determined to carry me off.

Mr. Thomfon immediately acquainted Mr. Quin with the difcourte he had been witness to, who adopted the fame opinion. Accordingly the latter fent to me during the performance, and defired to fpeak with me as B 6 foon

foon as my part was finished. His character having concluded in the fourth act, I found him undreft. The moment he faw me, he addreffed me in a pecipitate manner to the following purpose: "Madam, we must "have no chairing it to-night. You must go home under my arm." You may be affured I was not a little frightened. But, upon his further affuring me that I fhould be fafely escorted, and that he would fend for his fupper to my lodgings, where Mr. Thomfon was to make one of the party, my fears fubfided.

When I was undreffed, Mr. Quin ordered my chair to be brought from the stage-door in Bow-ftreet, with all the curtains drawn, into the paffage, that it might be supposed I was actually in it; whilft we went through the house, and by way of the piazzas, into Tavistock-ftreet, where my mother and myfelf then lodged. We confequently got home before the chair could reach our house. When the fellows arrived, they informed us that they had been ftopped on the way by a man muffled up in a great coat. at firft they affected to be unwilling to fet down their fare; but upon the perfon's being preremptory, they obeyed his orders. He then lifted up the top of the chair, and threw fomething into it, fwearing at the fame time, that if the anfwer was not fa- vourable, he was determined to destroy him

That

felf,