Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 31.djvu/166

 13 Sept., that his authority had been nominal rather than real. Of Sheridan, who was authorised to negotiate with him, he spoke pleasantly, but said that when appointments were made he found Sheridan ‘in a great hurry or surrounded by company,’ until his patience being exhausted he wrote relinquishing his engagement in all its parts, and, for fear of being induced to reconsider his determination, left town. On 20 Nov. 1789 he made, as Touchstone, his first appearance at Covent Garden, and the same evening was the original Sir John Trotley in ‘Bon Ton.’ After playing several of his best-known characters, he appeared for his benefit on 2 Feb. 1790 as Sancho in ‘Lovers' Quarrels,’ an alteration, attributed to himself, of Vanbrugh's ‘Mistake.’ On 23 Oct. 1790, as Lord Ogleby, he reappeared at Drury Lane, and during the rebuilding of the theatre went with the company to the Haymarket Opera House. On 2 Aug. 1792 he played at the Haymarket Falstaff in the ‘First Part of King Henry IV,’ and on the 23rd was General Touchwood in ‘Cross Partners,’ a comedy announced as by a lady. In September 1792 he rejoined the Drury Lane company, then playing at the Haymarket, and in March 1794 appeared with them at their newly built home, where he remained till the close of his career. On 24 May 1802, for his last benefit, King played his great character of Sir Peter Teazle. At the close he spoke, amidst lively demonstrations of sympathy, an address written for him by R. Cumberland. When, much exhausted, he reached the green-room, Mrs. Jordan presented him with a silver cup worth a hundred guineas, subscribed for by the company. Around the rim were engraved the lines from ‘King Henry V’ (act v. sc. 2), ‘If he be not fellow with the best king, thou shalt find the best king of good fellows.’

About 1783 King had a villa at Hampton, and was at that date robbed by highwaymen on his journey home. He took to gambling in middle life, with disastrous results. One night, when he had recovered 2,000l. of his heavy losses, he made an oath, in the presence of Garrick and his wife, that he would never touch dice again. This he kept until the death of Garrick. In 1785 he entered his name at Miles's Club in St. James's Street. Shortly afterwards he yielded to the old temptation, lost all his savings, was compelled to forego a proposed purchase of a share in Drury Lane, to sell his villa at Hampton, and remove to a house in Store Street. There he died on 11 Dec. 1805. On the 20th he was buried in the vault of St. Paul's, Covent Garden. His pall-bearers included Pope, Moody, Wroughton, Palmer, Powell, H. Siddons, and other actors. A benefit for Mrs. King followed, and brought a respectable addition to a limited income. She died on 30 Nov. 1813.

Apart from his incapacity to resist the temptation to gambling, King was a worthy and an honourable man. Davies gives him exemplary eulogy: ‘No man ever exerted his abilities to greater satisfaction of the public, or consulted the interests of his employers with more cordiality and assiduity. … Booth's character of the great actor, Smith, may be applied with justice to Mr. King: “By his impartial management of the stage and the affability of his temper he merited the respect and esteem of all within the theatre, the applause of those without, and the goodwill and love of all mankind”’ (Dram. Misc. iii. 372). Dibdin likens King to Préville as regards his performance of valets, and adds: ‘King is a performer who has thrown novelty into old characters, consequence into new, and nature into all’ (Hist. of the Stage, v. 348). Of his acting, as of his life, he says that integrity is the guiding principle, and he credits King with the exercise of benevolence, good humour, and every other sacred virtue. Hazlitt describes his acting in later life as leaving ‘a taste on the palate sharp and sweet like a quince; with an old, hard, rough, withered face, like a John-apple, puckered up into a thousand wrinkles, with shrewd hints and tart replies;’ he was ‘the real amorous, wheedling, or hasty, choleric, peremptory old gentleman in Sir Peter Teazle and Sir Anthony Absolute; and the true, that is the pretended, clown in Touchstone, with wit sprouting from his head like a pair of ass's ears, and folly perched on his cap like the horned owl.’ Churchill satirises King in his customary fashion for shamelessness acquired in Ireland.

His countenance is said to have been expressive of benignity and of archness, his action slow, his voice musical. In method of speech he was sententious, conveying always an idea of epigram. He was consequently most in request of any actor for the delivery of prologues, epilogues, and occasional addresses. King was also a fair singer. Besides the pieces mentioned, the ‘Secret History of the Green-Room’ credits him with the authorship of an interlude called ‘A Dramatic Oglio’ (sic), which was received with much favour. He also recited, at his benefit at Drury Lane on 29 April 1796, ‘Kitty Connolly and Jack the Painter,’ versified by himself. King kept a diary, now untraceable, in which were preserved some curious facts concerning Sheridan's