196 BIOGRAPHICAL STUDIES as briefly as possible, and being only profuse in interjections of humble thanks to the sharpers who are plucking him. The attraction of the part for Garrick doubtless consisted in its Uberal scope for the eloquent pantomine of gait, attitude, gesture, facial expression, of which he was so consummate a master, alike in tragedy and comedy. Eyes intent on him only must have read the speeches of Subtle and Face with scarcely less precision and far deeper impression than the ears heard them. As a great composer will maintain the identity of a simple air or fugal theme through countless intricate variations, combinations, and transformations, so we can imagine the great mimic preserving the original simple Drugger through a manifold diversity of humorous phases; and the good Partridge would have found him no more an actor in this than in Hainlet, remarking to his patron, Tom Jones, that any one in the circum- stances would have looked and done just as Mr. Garrick did. Referring to Face's recommendation of Abel, Gifford notes : — 'It should be observed that the houses of drug- gists (tobacconists) were not merely furnished with tobacco, but with conveniences for smoking it. Every well-frequented shop was an academy of this 'noble art,' where professors regularly attended to initiate the country aspirant. Abel's shop is very graphically described, and seems to be one of the most fashionable kind. The maple block was for shredding the tobacco leaf, the silver tongs for holding the coal, and the Jire of Juniper for the customers to light their pipes. Juniper is not lightly
