The Life of Edmund Kean [By B.w. Procter].  (English, Paperback, Bryan Waller Procter)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. HIS RECITATIONS IN LONDON—GOES TO MADEIRA IS A STROLLER IN SCOTLAND—RIDES A RACE EARLY ATTACHMENTS ACQUAINTANCE WITH RAE ENTERS THE SHEERNESS COMPANY ACTS WITH MRS. 8IDDONS SWIMS ACROSS THE THAMES JOINS THE HAYMARKET CORPS — RETURNS TO SHEERNESS. It has been already stated that " Master Carey," on quitting the protection of his friends in Guildford Street, went strolling about from place to place, sometimes with his mother, but occasionally acting alone. Of this time there are several authentic anecdotes preserved, which it is nevertheless difficult to attribute to any particular year. They range from the time when the boy was twelve till he was fourteen years of age. Inthis interval, he is known to have spoken Rolla's address to the Peruvians at Covent Garden, for the benefit of Mr. Knight (the manager of the Liverpool theatre); but being hoarse on account of his having previously recited several speeches at the Sans Souci, he received no applause. This was probably about 1799 or 1800. The Sans Souci here referred to was a little theatre or exhibition-room in Leicester Place (the same, we believe, formerly rented by the celebrated Dibdin), where readings were given, and poetry and speeches recited. Sometimes there were moving scenes, similar to the Dioramas given in modern pantomimes, with voices issuing from behind, reciting poetry descriptive of the scenes that were passing. There were also, about the same time, similar establishments at the Crown and Anchor, at some rooms near Lincoln's Inn Fields, and in Chancery Lane;at one or more of which places Kean appeared. He is said, in fact, to have read the whole of " The Merchant of Venice " at the Rolls' Rooms, Chancery Lane, where he was announced as " The infant prodigy, Master Carey." The la...