240 Two Dialogues by
epilogue, and five minutes for an epigram. Once at Burke's table the company proposed a subject, and Garrick finished his epigram within the time ; the same experiment was repeated in the garden, and with the same success.
GIB. Garrick had some flippancy of parts, to be sure, and was brisk and lively in company, and by the help of mimicry and story-telling, made himself a pleasant companion ; but here the whole world gave the superiority to Foote, and Garrick himself appears to have felt as if his genius was rebuked * by the superior powers of Foote. It has been often observed, that Garrick never dared to enter into competition with him, but was content to act an under part to bring Foote out.
JOHNS. That this conduct of Garrick's might be interpreted by the gross minds of Foote and his friends, as if he was afraid to encounter him, I can easily imagine. Of the natural supe riority of Garrick over Foote, this conduct is an instance : he disdained entering into competition with such a fellow, and made him the buffoon of the company ; or, as you say, brought him out. And what was at last brought out but coarse jests and vulgar merriment, indecency and impiety 2 , a relation of events which, upon the face of them, could never have happened, characters grossly conceived and as coarsely represented ? Foote was even no mimic ; he went out of himself, it is true, but without going into another man 3 ; he was excelled by Garrick
��David Garrick has written more good ' Under him
prologues than Dryden has done.' My Genius is rebuked.'
Life, ii. 325. Macbeth, Act iii. sc. 1, 1. 55.
Horace Walpole wrote of Garrick 2 Johnson in a letter to Mrs.
on Oct. 16, 1769 (Letters, v. 197) : Thrale said :' Murphy ought to
- As that man's writings will be pre- write Foote's life, at least to give the
served by his name, who will believe world a Footeana? As a marginal that he was a tolerable actor. His note on this Baretti wrote : ' One prologues and epilogues are as bad half of it had been a string of ob- as his Pindarics and Pantomimes.' scenities. 3 Letters, ii. 55.
A few months earlier J. Sharp 3 ' BOSWELL. " I don't think Foote
wrote to Garrick from Cambridge : a good mimic, Sir." JOHNSON. " No,
- I met Mr. Gray here at dinner last Sir ; his imitations are not like. He
Sunday; he spoke handsomely of gives you something different from your happy knack at epilogues.' himself, but not the character which Garrick Corres. i. 349. he means to assume. He goes out
even
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