her wings.

"Such were her lovely limbs, so flushed her charming face
So round her neck! her eyes so fair!
So rose her swelling chest! so flow'd her amber hair!
While her swift feet outstript the wind,
And left the enamor'd God of Day behind."

Certes, Booth was in love when he wrote this eulogy.

But however sprightly and deftly did this charmer pirouette, she could
not deny herself the luxury of appearing as a regular actress. Her
first venture in this direction was as the Eunuch of "Valentinian,"
wherein she donned boy's attire, and was much more successful in
masculine garb than have been not a few better artists. From this
part to that of Dorcas Zeal in Shadwell's play, "The Fair Quaker of
Deal,"[A] was but a step, and a step, be it said, which for the moment
consoled the public for her desertion from the ballet. According to
Cibber, Santlow was the happiest incident in the fortune of the play,
and the Laureate tells us that she was "then in the full bloom of what
beauty she might pretend to."[B] He adds that "before this she had
only been admired as the most excellent dancer, which perhaps might
not a little contribute to the favourable reception she now met with
as an actress in this character which so happily suited her figure and
capacity: the gentle softness of her voice, the composed innocence
of her aspect, the modesty of her dress, the reserv'd deceny of her
gesture, and the simplicity of the sentiments that naturally fell from
her, made her seem the amiable maid she represented. In a word, not
the enthusiastick Maid of Orleans was more serviceable of old to the
French army when the English had distressed them, than this fair
Quaker was at the head of that dramatick attempt upon which the
support of their weak society depended."

[Footnote A: Produced at Drury Lane in February, 1710.]

[Footnote B: It might appear from this remark of Colley's that the
Santlow was not over handsome. Yet if a picture taken from life does
not belie her the dancer was most fair to look upon.]

This "weak society" was the new company recruited by William Collier
for Drury Lane Theatre, and wherein could be found, in addition to the
light-limbed Hester, such players as her adoring swain, Barton Booth,
Theophilus Keen, George Powell, Francis Leigh, Mrs. Bradshaw and Mrs.
Knight. Colley was at that time (1710) in opposition to Drury, his
interest lying with the Hay market management, and it is very evident
that t