public; for he is now arrived at what to him may looked on as the ne plus ultra of his profeffion.

be

IS brother to the celebrated actress, Mrs. Siddons, and the eldest fon of Mr. Roger Kemble, who was many years manager of an itinerant company of comedians.

When a boy, Mr. K. ufed to appear on his father's flage in fuch characters as fuited his age, but was not by him defigned for a theatrical life. The Kemble family are catholic, and the old gentleman placed his fon John at a Roman catholic academy in Staffordshire; whence he was fent to the English college at Douay, in order to be qualified for the church.

While there, he was equally noted for the ftrength of his memory, and admired for his happy mode of delivery.

But being, at length, tired of the college trammels, he forfook his ftudies, and returned to England, before the age of twenty, without the confent of his family. Having landed at Bristol, he walked to Gloucefter, where hearing that the company was at Brecknock, he proceeded thither, but met with a cool reception; his father, indeed, actually refused to relieve him; but the actors generously affifted him with money, by way of fubfcription, to which the manager, according to a report, which we truft is unfounded,

unfounded, was with difficulty perfuaded to add a guinea!

On this, he returned to Gloucestershire with his pittance, and joined Chamberlin's company, with which he made his firft effay on the ftage of a small town in that county. His profits were fcanty, and his diftrefs great, which at times involved him in rather ludicrous fituations, fome of which he will relate with much good humour among his convivial companions.

Kemble's chief fault feemed to be an unaccountable negligence, but he was nevertheless confidered as a rifing actor. In hopes of procuring more proi fit and reputation than his prefent fituation afforded him, he joined with the manager of Cheltenham theatre, in order to give a mifcellaneous entertainment. Young Kemble was to lecture, and his partner to entertain the company with light-of-hand tricks! The one obtained great credit by his eloquence, but neither of them gained money; and we have only to lament, that fuch men fhould have been reduced fo low by the frowns of the fickle goddess.

After this, our theatrical hero joined a company at Worcester, where he remained until his fifter introduced hin to Mr. Younger; from which time he gradually improved, until he obtained a high degree of eminence in his profeffion.

About this period he produced " Bellifarius," a tragedy, and a poem called "The Palace of Mercy."

From

1

From Younger's company, he was introduced to that of Mr. Wilkinson, at York *; who, being appointed manager at Edinburgh, took him along with him; there he was well received, and delivered a lecture on oratory, which gained him reputation as a man of letters.

Mr. Kemble played in Dublin, in 1782, at Smockalley theatre, and fucceeded admirably, in Jephfon's "Count of Narbonne;" but his merit was not fufficiently prized. His fifter foon after procured him an engagement at Drury-lane theatre.

His first appearance in the metropolis was in Hamlet, and but few first appearances in London have given greater fatisfaction. His folemn demeanor and ftyle of acting are admirably fuited to the character. He has often repeated it, but always in an improved ftate; and his Hamlet is now, perhaps, as finished a portrait as any on the stage. Since that period he has performed a great variety of characters, always respectably, and fometimes with acknowledged excellence. His Coriolanus, Macbeth, Octavian, &c. are confidered as the ne plus ultra of the imitative

art.

His perfon, action, and deportment, joined to a diftinct and claffical utterance, fit him particularly for a tragedian. The pathetic complaints of Jaffier are, however, delivered with torpor, nor is his voice equal to the burfts of rage in Richard, or Macbeth.

The audience of that city being accustomed to the rant of a favourite provincial actor, did not relish him, "because he could not bout like Cummins !''

In the lover he is alfo defective; but in the despair of Beverly, the jealoufy of Othello, and the inquietude of royal John, he is peculiarly fuccefsful. His great fault is the always aiming at being original, in which he frequently fails; but yet in thefe attempts he fometimes ftrikes out new beauties. On the whole, he is one of the first performers of the prefent day.*

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Mr. Kemble has produced a farce called the Projects," and has altered Bickerstaff's comedy of "'Tis Well it's no Worfe," into a farce called the "Pannel," as well as Louvet's "Lodoifka;" he has alfo fitted the old play of "Love in many Masks" for the modern stage.

On Mr. King's quitting the management of Drurylane, Mr. Kemble was appointed his fucceffor; but it is certain the house, under his control, was not very fucccfsful: this, however, may be attributed partly to want of taste in the town, and partly to want of countenance in a certain quarter; for he affuredly poffeffes the talents requifite to judge of new pieces, and a fufficient knowledge of the ftage to get up fuch as are old in the best manner.

Mr. Kemble married the widow of the late Mr. Brereton. It is faid that the daughter of a deceased minifter of state was ftrongly attached to him, which coming to the father's cars, he prudently offered a fortune of three thousand pounds, on condition he

*It is not generally understood, that Mr. K. has ever played a finging part; he, however, performed Richard Cœur de Lion, upwards of twenty nights. It was with fome difficulty the leader of the band could get him to keep time.

would

would marry, immediately, any lady he liked. He accordingly caft his eyes on Mrs. Brereton, and thus fecured to himself a confiderable acceffion of fortune, and a moft excellent wife.

MISS SEWARD.

THIS lady, fo well known, and fo much respected in the literary world, is the only daughter of the reverend Mr. Seward, rector of Eyam, in Derbyfhire prebendary and canon-refidentiary of Lichfield.

Being an author himself, he was fond of giving his daughter a tafte for letters, particularly poetry; and at the early age of three years she could repeat the Allegro of Milton and at nine the recited the three first books of Paradife Loft with fpirit and propriety. About the fame age the converted several of the Pfalms into English verfe.

But her mother not approving this turn for poetry, perfuaded her to relinquish her literary purfuits; the ftill, however, indulged now and then in her beloved occupation, and facrificed by ftealth to the mufes. A friend of the family happening to doubt whether the pocis thewn as her's had not received fome paternal affiftance, he called one evening when he knew her father was abfent, and requested the young lady to favour him with a few lines on any fubject, adding, "Let me write a ftanza, and you finish it;" he accordingly indited one, and left her on the fucceeding inorning the prefented him with fome verfes,