panion, and rewarding him with half-a-crown for his patience and encouragement.

To MICHAEL KELLY we are indebted for a couple of facetious anecdotes of this extraordinary individual.

"I have seen," says he, "many instances of Mr. Sheridan's power of raising money, when pushed hard; and one among the rest, I confess, even astonished me. He was once 30007. in arrears with the performers of the Italian Opera: payment was put off from day to day, and they bore the repeated postponement with Christian patience; but, at last, even their docility revolted; and finding all the tales of Hope flattering, they met; they resolved not to perform any longer until they were paid. As manager, I accordingly received on the Saturday morning their written declaration, that not one of them would appear at night. On receiving this, I went to Messrs. Morlands' banking-house, in Pall Mall, to request some advances, in order to satisfy the performers for the moment; but, alas! my appeal was vain, and the bankers were inexorable-they, like the singers, were worn out, and assured me, with a solemn oath, that they would not advance another shilling either to Mr. Sheridan or the concern, for that they were already too deep in arrears.

"This was a pozer; and, with a heart rather sad, I went to Hertford-street, Mayfair, to Mr. Sheridan, who at that time had not risen.. Having sent him

up word of the urgency of my business, after keeping me waiting rather more than two hours, in the greatest anxiety, he came out of his bed-room. I told him, unless he could raise 30007. the theatre must be shut up; and he, and all belonging to the establishment, be disgraced.

“Three thousand pounds, Kelly! there is no such sum in nature,' said he, with all the coolness imaginable; nay, more than I could have imagined a man, under such circumstances, capable of. Are you an admirer of Shakspeare?'

"To be sure I am,' said I; but what has Shakspeare to do with 30007. or the Italian singers?"

6

"There is one passage in Shakspeare,' said he, ' which I have always admired particularly; and it is that where Falstaff says, 'Master Robert Shallow, I owe you a thousand pounds.'-Yes, Sir John,' says Shallow, which I beg you will let me take home with me.'-' That may not so easy be, Master Robert Shallow, replies Falstaff;' and so I say unto thee, Master Mick Kelly, to get three thousand pounds may not so easy be.'

"Then Sir,' said I, 'there is no alternative but closing the Opera House;' and not quite pleased with his apparent carelessness, I was leaving the room, when he bade me stop, ring the bell, and order a hackney-coach. He then sat down, and read the newspaper, perfectly at his ease, while I was in an agony of anxiety. When the coach came, he de

sired me to get into it, and order the coachman to drive to Morlands', and to Morlands' we went; there he got out, and I remained in the carriage in a state of nervous suspense not to be described; but in less than a quarter of an hour, to my joy and surprise, out he came, with 30007. in bank notes in his hand. By what hocus-pocus he got it, I never knew, nor can I imagine even at this moment; but, certes, he brought it to me out of the very house where, an hour or two before, the firm had sworn they would not advance him another sixpence.

"He saw, by my countenance, the emotions of surprise and pleasure his appearance, so provided, had excited; and laughing, bid me take the money to the Treasurer, but to be sure to keep enough out of it to buy a barrel of native oysters, which he would come and roast at night in Suffolk-street.

"An instance of Sheridan's neglect of his own interest came (amongst many others) to my knowledge. He had a particular desire to have an audience of his late Majesty, who was then at Windsor, on some point which he wished to carry, for the good of the theatre. He mentioned it to his present Majesty, who, with the kindness which on every occasion he shewed him, did him the honour to say, that he would take him to Windsor himself; and appointed him to be at Carlton House, to set off with his Royal Highness precisely at eleven o'clock. He called upon me, and said, 'My dear

Mic, I am going to Windsor with the Prince the day after to-morrow; I must be with him at eleven o'clock in the morning, to a moment; and to be in readiness at that early hour, you must give me a bed at your house to-morrow night; I shall then only have to cross the way to Carlton House, and be punctual to the appointment of His Royal Highness.'

"I had no bed to offer him but my own, which I ordered to be got in readiness for him; and he, with his brother-in-law, Charles Ward, stayed dinner with me. Amongst other things at table, there was a roast neck of mutton, which was sent away untouched. As the servant was taking it out of the room, I observed,There goes a dinner fit for a King;' alluding to his late Majesty's known partiality for that particular dish.

"The next morning I went out of town, to dine and sleep, purposely to accommodate Mr. Sheridan with my bed; and got home again about four o'clock in the afternoon, when I was told by my servant, that Mr. Sheridan was up-stairs still, fast asleepthat he had been sent for several times from Carlton House, but nothing could prevail upon him to get up.

"I was told that an hour after I had quitted town, he called at the Saloon, and told my servant-maid, that he knew she had a dinner fit for a King, in the house, a cold roast neck of mutton,' and asked

her if she had any wine. She told him there were, in a closet, five bottles of port, two of madeira, and one of brandy; the whole of which, I found that he, Richardson, and Charles Ward, after eating the neck of mutton for dinner, had consumed:-on hearing this, it was easy to account for his drowsiness in the morning. He was not able to raise his head from his pillow, nor did he get out of bed until seven o'clock, when he had some dinner.

"Kemble came to him in the evening, and they again drank very deep, and I never saw Mr. Sheridan in better spirits. Kemble was complaining of want of novelty at Drury Lane Theatre; and that, as manager, he felt uneasy at the lack of it. My dear Kemble,' said Mr. Sheridan, don't talk of grievances now.' But Kemble still kept saying, Indeed we must seek for novelty, or the theatre must sink-novelty, and novelty alone, can prop it, "Then,' replied Sheridan, with a smile, 'if you want novelty, act Hamlet, and have music played between your pauses.'

"Kemble, however he might have felt the sarcasm, did not appear to take it in bad part. What made the joke tell at the time, was this: a few nights previous, while Kemble was acting Hamlet, a gentleman came to the pit-door, and tendered half-price. The money-taker told him that the third act was only then begun.

"The gentleman, looking at his watch, said,— It