Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/414

 410 MACKLIN, made but one jump from his chair to the door, and scam pered down the stairs as if the d– was in him. He ran across the garden in the same manner, thinking I was still at his heels: and so, Sir, I never spoke to the rascal since.” He now joined Barry in founding a new theatre in Dublin, and, in the spring of 1757, Macklin went to Ire land along with Barry and Woodward, who was admitted as partner, and was present at laying the foundation-stone of Crow-street theatre. About September of the same year, Barry having obtained a sufficient number of sub scribers to his new theatre, and arranged every other matter relative to his great design, returned to London, leaving Macklin as his locum tenens, who, to do him justice, was so very vigilant and industrious in a l l the departments o f his trust, that, upon Barry's return t o Dublin, towards the close o f the summer o f 1758, the theatre was nearly ready for their performance. Mrs. Macklin died about this time, before her husband could receive any benefits from her engagement, and h e seemed much afflicted a t her loss, a s her judgment and good sense often kept him within the pale o f propriety. This was his first wife; she was the widow o f a respectable hosier i n Dublin, o f the name o f Grace, where the marriage took place about 1781-2. She made her debut a t Chester i n the Nurse, i n “Romeo and Juliet.” She was esteemed a n excellent actress i n the walk o f her profession—a very considerable reader, and possessed the accomplishments o f singing and dancing t o that degree, a s would have enabled her t o have got her bread i n these lines, had not her act ing been considered a s the most profitable employment. She had been some months before her death i n a declining state, but her dissolution i s said t o have been hastened b y her husband's losses and bankruptcy. Crow-street theatre opened o n the 23rd o f October, 1758, with a n occasional prologue spoken b y Barry, after which was performed the comedy o f “She Would, and She Would Not; or, the Kind Impostor.” Macklin joined this corps a s soon a s