Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 62.djvu/288

 stage, and they began on their arrival a tripartite domestic arrangement at 6 Bow Street, in which Charles Macklin [q. v.] was the third. This unpromising experiment speedily broke down, and Mrs. Woffington and Garrick retired to Southampton Street, Strand [for the particulars of this experiment, and for the lines in which Garrick or Hanbury-Williams berhymed ‘lovely Peggy,’ see ]. Mrs. Woffington was less seen at Drury Lane than might have been expected from her Dublin triumphs. She had to face, however, the formidable rivalry of Mrs. Clive and Mrs. Pritchard. She appeared as Queen Anne for the first time in England; spoke an epilogue to the ‘Merchant of Venice’ on Shakespeare's women characters; played Lady Lurewell in the ‘Constant Couple’ to the Sir Harry Wildair of Garrick, which, after her own, was a failure; and was, 17 Feb. 1743, the first Charlotte in Fielding's ‘Wedding Day.’ In the following season she was seen for the first time in London as Ophelia, Mrs. Ford, Lady Townley, Portia in ‘Merchant of Venice,’ and Millamant in the ‘Way of the World;’ and was, 3 April 1744, the first Lætitia in Ralph's ‘Astrologer,’ an alteration of ‘Albumazar.’ The season 1744–5 saw her as Mrs. Frail in ‘Love for Love,’ Oriana in ‘The Inconstant,’ Narcissa in ‘Love's last Shift,’ and Belinda in the ‘Provoked Husband;’ and the following season as Maria in the ‘Nonjurors,’ Florimel in ‘Comical Lovers,’ Constantia in the ‘She Gallants,’ the scornful Lady, Penelope in the ‘Lying Lover,’ Mrs. Conquest in the ‘Lady's last Stake,’ Isabella in ‘Measure for Measure,’ Viola in ‘Twelfth Night,’ Aminta in the ‘Sea Voyage,’ Female Officer in ‘Humours of the Army,’ and Mariana in the ‘Miser.’ On 18 Jan. 1746 she was the original Lady Katherine Gordon in Macklin's ‘Henry VII, or the Popish Impostor.’

On 30 April of the previous year, for Mrs. Woffington's benefit, the part of Cherry in the ‘Beaux' Stratagem’ had been played by Miss M. Woffington, being her first appearance on any stage. This was her sister Mary, who subsequently married Captain (afterwards the Hon. and Rev.) George Cholmondeley, second son of the Earl Cholmondeley, and a nephew of Horace Walpole, and survived Margaret over half a century.

In the following season, 1746–7, when Garrick had become associated with Lacy in the management of Drury Lane, Mrs. Woffington ‘created’ no new part, but was seen for the first time as Charlotte in the ‘Refusal,’ Lady Percy, Cleopatra in ‘All for Love,’ Belinda in ‘Artful Husband,’ Mrs. Loveit in ‘Man of the Mode,’ Silvia in ‘Marry or do Worse,’ and Lady Rodomont in ‘Fine Lady's Airs.’ On 13 Feb. 1748 she was the first Rosetta in Moore's ‘Foundling,’ and was seen during the season as Sulpitia in ‘Albumazar,’ Jacintha in ‘Suspicious Husband,’ Hippolito in Dryden's alteration of the ‘Tempest,’ Flora in ‘She would and she would not,’ and Jane Shore. In the next season, the busiest of her later career, she reappeared at Covent Garden, where she was, 13 Jan. 1749, the original Veturia in Thomson's ‘Coriolanus.’ Mrs. Woffington, according to the epilogue, painted with wrinkles her beautiful face in order to play the character. She was also Arabella, otherwise My Lady No, in ‘London Cuckolds,’ Helena in the ‘Rover,’ Portia in ‘Julius Cæsar,’ Lady in ‘Comus,’ Elvira in ‘Love makes a Man,’ Bellemante in ‘Emperor of the Moon,’ Andromache in ‘Distressed Mother,’ Calista in ‘Fair Penitent,’ Lady Touchwood in ‘Double Dealer,’ Leonora in ‘Sir Courtly Nice,’ and Queen Katharine in ‘Henry VIII.’ In 1749–50 she was Desdemona, Lady Macbeth, Clarinda in ‘Suspicious Husband,’ Aspasia in ‘Tamerlane,’ Estifania in ‘Rule a Wife and have a Wife,’ Lady Jane Grey in piece so named (a performance that added greatly to her reputation, high as this was), Anne Bullen in ‘Virtue Betrayed,’ and Queen Mary in ‘Albion Queens.’ The years 1750 and 1751 added to the list Queen in ‘Hamlet,’ Hippolita in ‘She would and she would not,’ Lady Fanciful in ‘Provoked Wife,’ Hermione in ‘Distressed Mother,’ and Constance in ‘King John.’

During the three following seasons she was in Dublin. Her success was even greater than before. Writing to the Countess of Orrery on 21 Oct. 1751, Victor, the historian of the stage, says: ‘Mrs. Woffington is the only theme either in or out of the theatre—her performances are in general admirable.’ He compares her with Mrs. Oldfield and Mrs. Porter. Some tolerable verses signed by her name, asking for an annual repetition of a kiss given her in 1746 by the Duke of Dorset, are in the ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ for December 1751. During her stay she added to her repertory Zara in the ‘Mourning Bride,’ Lothario, Widow Lackit in ‘Oroonoko,’ and Palmira in ‘Mahomet.’ By her performances in four stock plays she brought her management 4,000l., a record quite unprecedented. Taking what proved to be a final farewell of Ireland, she returned with Sheridan, her manager, to England, and reappeared at Covent Garden, 22 Oct. 1754, as Maria in the ‘Nonjuror,’ adding during the season to her repertory Phædra in ‘Phædra and Hippolitus,’ Lady