A. B.'s Remarks on the Tragedy of King Lear, and the Poem from North America, with ether Pieces omitted this Month, shall have Place in our next.] THE Gentleman's Magazine: For MAY, 1752. It it with great pleasure that we communicate to our readers the following account, which fhews the writer to have read and converfed much about theatrical affairs, and to be zealous that they should be faithfully related. We shall be glad to receive com-. munications of the jame kind from other hands. Some Memoirs of Mrs ELLEN GWYNN. E LLEN GWYNN, or GUYN, fo far as appears to us from all accounts hitherto known, had no edu- A "cation at all. What we learn of her is, that she was born in a night-cellara, fold fifh about streets, rambled from tavern to tavern, entertaining the company after dinner and fupper with fongs, (her voice being ve- B ry agreeable); was next taken into the houfe of Madam Rofs, a noted courtezan; admitted afterwards into the Theatre Royal as early as the year 1667b; was miftrefs to both Hart and Lacey, two famous actors, and kept by Buckburft, if I miftake not, whom Charles C the second sent on a fleeveless errand into France, in order to pave his approach to her. From that period fhe began to be pretty well known, and is mentioned by Burnet and other hiftorians. Me. moirs may be found concerning her in the following books, and many o- D thers: Ant. Wood's Ath. Oxon. Memoires de la Cour d'Angleterre par Madame Danois, and Memoires de la vie du Compte Grammont, English tranflation. As this giddy and diffipated creature gave rife to a noble and moft worthy family, one would have nothing devifed E concerning her by way of romance; fhe had fome very good qualities to contrast against her bad education and vicious habits. Without proofs and citations, one a State Poems. b See the drama of the Maiden Queen, and others of Dryden's plays for -ten years fucceffively. State Poems. See a note in Boyer's tranflation of Gram ment's Memoirs, which Mr Dryden told Beyer. F can pay but a proportionable regard to many facts reported of her in a late pamphlet, which is certainly well write ten; nevertheless many affertions there clash with accounts better known, and offend against probability. As the entered on the stage about the year 1667, I cannot well fee how she could apply to Betterton, at that time, as a fort of protector, fince Betterton then, far from being a manager, or having any confiderable intereft in the play-house, had hardly paffed his theatrical noviciate. Sir W. Davenant must have been the perfon applied to, who was then patentee at the king's house. Betterten was then a mere youth, and juft making his fortune, under the actors of the old stock, fuch as Angel, Codeman, and others, who were the remnants of Black-fryars, and who vanished almost entirely about the year 1665, whether through chagrin or by accident, cannot now be afcertained. What concludes ftronger is, that Betterton left the Theatre Royal, and acted at the duke's before and at the time when Kelly appeared on the former ftage. Behold another feeming contradiction in theatrical chronology. Nelly's amiable lover is faid to be the perfon who acted Creon, which, by the way, was Sandford, a man of a remarkable hard vifage, deformed, and who had the air of an affaffin. Moreover, this event is fupposed to happen before Nelly came upon the stage, 1667, and OEdipus was not reprefented till about the year 1677, long after fhe was the king's mistress; nay, it may be queried if the acted fo late as the year 1677. It no ways appears that Ld Rochefter was ever enamoured of her. Mrs Barry was his paflion, and Mrs Lowtel anic Memoirs of Mrs Ellen Gwyn. B filling them up, as far as they went, moft effectually. Witnefs Florimel, in the Maiden, Queen, (to which the fpoke the epilogue) Jacinta, in the Mock Aftrologer, &c. &c. 'Tis highly probable that Madam ElLen might have made a more decent figure in life, had her birth been fortunate, and her education good. A feminary like the streets and cellars of London is infinitely worfe than crawling in woods, and converfing with favages. We make this remark, because she poffelfed many good qualities, which ne human difadvantages could quite deftroy. She had no avarice; when her power increased, fhe ferved all her theatrical friends. She fhewed particular gratitude to Dryden, and valued eminent writers, as Lee, Otaway, &c. She was almoft the only miftrels of the king who was guilty of no infidelity towards him; nor did the relapfe after his decease. Endued with natural fagacity and wit, fhe made no ill ufe of them at court, paid no attention to minifters, nor ever acted as their creature. Her Dcharities were remarkable; and, what was fingular, fhe piqued herself on a regard for the church of England, contrary to the genius of the then court. 200 In a word, Madam Ellen (as the drama often stiles her after fhe was declared the king's miftrefs) had no great turn for tragedy, nor do I recollect her in any part of moment but that of Valeria in Tyrannic Love, to which Dryden raifed her, partly thro' partiality, and partly as it was neceflary for her to die in that play, in order to rife and fpeak the epifogue. In comedy fhe was more ex cellent nevertheless the muft not be ranked as an actrefs with the Quins, Davenports, Marshalls, Bowtels, Bettertons, and Lees du Siccle d'Or de Charles II. which held in its high luftre from 1665 to 1678. But of what the French call enjone, the was a complete mittrefs; airy, fantaltic, coquet, fpritely, finging, dan cing; made for flight, fhowy parts, and * Perhaps Mamamouchi; or, the Citizen turned Gentleman, a Comedy, by Ravenscroft, from Ivoliere. F Once as fhe was driving up Ludgatebill in a fuperb coach, fome bayliffs were hurrying a clergyman to prifon; the ftopt, fent for the perfons whom the clergyman named as atteftators to his character, and finding the account a juft fubject for pity, paid his debt inftantly, and procured him a preferment. She was the most popular of all the king's miftreffes, and moft acceptable to the nation. An eminent goldimith, who died about 15 years ago, in the 79th year of his age, affured me, that when he was a 'prentice, his maiter made a moft expenfive fervice of plate (the king's prefent) for the dutchefs of P. He remember'd well, that an infinite concourfe of people crouded to the fhop Gout of mere curiofity; that they threw out a thousand ill wifhes against the dutchefs, and wifh'd the filver was melted and pour'd down her throat; but faid 'twas ten thoufand pities his majefty had not beftow'd this bounty on madam Ellen. Her pictures, painted by Lely and oHthers, pronounce her to have been very handfome. By the belt accounts we have of her, he was low in ftature, and fomewhat carelefs in her drefs. Epilogue to Tyrannic Love." ME |