| Citation |
PGCJ.767.018
28 Feb 1767:41,42 (164)
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.
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 the grammar school, and
afterwards to the University of Dublin, where he continued
till 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 provided, not to succeed, 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 here was not much
superior to that he had met with 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 public,
and rose through the gradations of his employment till he
was made manager of Drury-Lane play-house. His skill, or his
address as a manager, are not much applauded, but his merit
as an actor outbalanced that defect, and still keep 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 an heresy in taste,
was at least 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
in Bath. He had bought an annuity of two hundred a year
from the Duke of Belford, and this, added to about seven
hundred pounds more, which his friend Sampson Gideon had
amassed, in change alley for him, contributed to make his
life easy and independent. He was also addicted to
Epicurism, and at last became notorious for his fondness of
good eating; the fish called John Dory, every body knows,
was first introduced by him to the tables 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 now for more than twenty
years, but they are in general more remarkable for their
indecency and malignity, than for their humour. Some of
them however are 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.
. . . [2 jokes follow not related to theater, then] Quin,
when manager, had kept a poet's tragedy too long. The poet
calling often and being angry, Quin sent him to the beureau
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.
. . . [several more, then] "When Garrick acts Othello,
said Quin, I'll act Desdemony." On this occasion Mr.
Garrick himself supposed Quin would say, as soon as he
entered, "Here's Pompey, where's the tea-kettle?" alluding
to a print in The Harlot's Progress.
. . . [more, then] 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."
He died aged 73, of a mortification in his arm, occasioned
by a slight scratch on his fore finger.
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