| Citation |
NYGWPB.766.094
11 Dec 1766:41 (1249)
Some account of Mr. James Quin, the celebrated actor, lately
deceased. Mr. Quin was the son of an English gentleman of a
moderate fortune of about 600L. a year. His father in order
to improve his fortune, in the early part of his life, went
over to America; where he married a lady with whom he
continued to live for some years, but having no children he
grew weary of her, and returned to England, from whence he
went over to Ireland, where he married another lady, his
former wife still living, and by her he had our celebrated
actor. . . [Details of his education, etc. At his father's
death claims for the estate came from his father's American
wife] so that the unfortunate Quin, fortunately for the
public, being disinherited, was obliged to go upon the Irish
stage. Very little was expected from his first attempts,
and for want of encouragement, or perhaps desirous of
improvement, he came to England. His reception her was not
much superior to that he had met in Ireland, he was put on
the meanest characters, such as the lieutenant of the Tower
in Richard the third, and Banquo in Macbeth. Thus he
continued for some years, till Booth died, when Cato, which
was then a favourite character with the public, being in
danger of falling for want of an actor to support it, Mr.
Quin was put into it, merely as a case of necessity. The
part was therefore printed in the bills of the day, to be
attempted by Mr. Quin. The modesty of the invitation
produced a full house and a favourable audience, but the
actor's own peculiar merit effected more. When he came to
that part of the play where the dead son is brought in upon
the bier,Quin, in speaking these words, "Thanks to the Gods,
my boy has done his duty," so affected the whole house, that
they cried out with a continual acclamation, Booth outdone,
Booth outdone. From that time Mr.Quin became a favourite of
the publick, and rose through the gradations of his
employment till he was made manager of Drury-Lane play-
house. His sill, or his address as a manger, are not much
applauded, but his merit as an actor outbalanced that
defect, and still kept him in his station. What gave him
the severest blow in his profession was the extreme
popularity into which Mr. Garrick came, about the time in
which he was declining in his profession. It was in vain
that Mr. Quin cracked his jokes upon his antagonist, that he
called his acting Sir John Brute, merely enacting Master
Jack Brute; Garrick was followed, and Quin forsaken; so that
what Quin called an heresy in taste was at last universally
allowed to be a reformation. With these disappointments
therefore he retired from the stage sooner than he otherwise
would have done, and went to reside at Bath. . . [more about
his life after retirement. The penultimate paragraph:] After
he left the stage, he generously acted every year for his
old friend Ryan's benefit, till he lost his teeth, and then
said, he would not whistle Falstaff for any man.
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