| Citation |
VGW(HU.766.024
2 May 1766:12,13 (780 Supplement)
Some account of Mr. Quin, the celebrated actor, who lately
died at Bath.
Mr. Quin was the son of an English gentleman of a moderate
fortune, of about 600 L. 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.
As his father kept his new family entirely ignorant of his
former alliance, his son was educated in all that elegance
which was supposed necessary for the heir apparent to a
pretty estate. He was sent to a grammar school, and
afterwards to the university of Dublin, where he continued
until his father died; who leaving no will, young Quin came
into the possession of the estate, without any opposition at
first; but he was soon alarmed with a claim from America,
the heirs at law to his father grounding their rights upon
Quin's being a bastard. This claim was too well supported,
and proved, not to succeed; so that the unfortunate Quin,
fortunately for the publick, 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 here was not much
superiour to that he had met with in Ireland; he was put on
in the meanest characters, such as the Lieutenant of the
Tower in Richard III, and Banquo in Macbeth. Thus he
continued for some years, until Booth died; when Cato, which
was then a favourite character with the publick, 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 this 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 until he
was made manager of Drury Lane playhouse. His skill, or his
address as a manager, are not much applauded; but his merits
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 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 a heresy instead
was at last universally allowed to be a reformation. With
these disappointments, therefore, he retired from the state
sooner than he would otherwise have done, and went to reside
at Bath. He had bought an annuity of two hundred a year
from the Duke of Bedford; and this, added to about 7000 L.
more, which his friend Sampson Gideon had amassed in Change
Alley for him, contributed to make the latter part of his
life easy and independent. He was always addicted to
epicurism, and at last became notorious for his fondness of
good eating; the fish called John Dory, every body known,
was first introduced by him to the table of the delicate.
He was at the same time an agreeable facetious companion,
and as much a wit in company as an ill natured man could be.
His jests have been in circulation not for more than twenty
years, but they are in general more remarkable for their
indecency or malignity than their humour. Some of them,
however, as such as deserve our real applause. We will
mention a few of them, and of such as have not made their
way into the jest books.
. . . [8 lines, two jests]
Quin when manager, had kept a poet's tragedy too long.
The poet calling often, and being angry, Quin sent him to
the bureau, and desired him to take it. After searching for
some time among several others, and not finding his own,
Well, said Quin, take two comedies and a farce for it.
Quin was one day coming in a chair from having dined at
the sign of the Three Tuns in Bath. Lord Chesterfield,
meeting him, said that if Quin came from thence there were
but two tuns left.
He died aged 73, of a mortification in his arm, occasioned
by a slight scratch on his fore finger.
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