Records of my life / By the late John Taylor, esq. Complete in one volume.

  • John Taylor
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Records of my life / By the late John Taylor, esq. Complete in one volume. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    55/474 (page 49)
    Mr. Murphy was placed in this comfortable situation, I had the pleas¬ ure of dining with him, in company with Mr. Foot ^nd a few friends, *at the Prince of Wales’s Tavern, in the vicinity of Sloane-street. Before dinner he read to us the conclusion of “ The Life of Garrick,1w in which, in a masterly manner, he has reviewed his character as a manager, an actor, an author, and a private gentleman, paying in all the highest tribute to his memory. I cite the following passage from Mr. Foot’s life referring to this ■ 'occasion :—“ I never shall forget that when the chief of the company had departed, he, Mr. Taylor, and tmyself took a turn into Sloane- street, just as the full moon appeared above the horizon, and without preparing us at all for it, he threw himself into a fine dramatic atti- i tude, and recited in the most impressive manner Pope’s description i of the moon of Homer.’’ I remember being as much struck as Mr. Foot was at the grand and graceful manner in which Mr. Murphy recited this beautiful pas¬ sage ; and if I were to judge from it of his powers as an actor, I should conclude that Churchill’s description of his theatrical talents i was the mere effusion of political malignity. He was an admirable; reader, as I had a good opportunity of knowing, for he invited me to■ dine with him tete-a-tete at Hammersmith, and read to me one of his! manuscript tragedies ; and without the least pomp or affectation, he \ appeared to me to be able to do justice to any author in theatrical performance. His voice was firm and well-toned, and capable of[] adapting itself to every change of passion, particularly as his figure im the meridian of life must have been lofty and commanding. It is evident that he thought he possessed talents for the stage, as he adopted the theatrical profession at the time when Garrick was in the meridian of his powers, and the object of Murphy’s highest ad mi¬ gration. Wedderburne must have been intimate with him during the: time that he was on the stage, as may be inferred from Churchill’s i having described the former as The pert, prim prater of the northern race, Guilt in his heart, and famine in his face. He was mentioned in “The Rosciad” as the advocate for Mr. Mur- t phy in his pretensions to the theatrical chair. Wedderburne, when if he became Lord Loughborough and lord-chancellor, appointed; Murphy commissioner of bankrupts, which office after some years;! he resigned, but not being prosperous in other pursuits, he applied; for it again and was reinstated. it is to be regretted that his lordship did not appoint him a master i in chancery, as the noble lord knew how careless he was in money matters, for he was well qualified for the situation, and then he would have had a comfortable provision for life. Ifis third appointment as commissioner of bankrupts, after he had twice resigned the situation, was given to him by Lord Eldon ; and when he tendered his third 1 resignation to that nobleman, his lordship advised him in a kind letter 1© retain it, observing that no doubt some of his brother commis-