Bibliographical Account of English Theatrical Literature_.

Colley Cibber's son, THEOPHILUS CIBBER (1703-1758), also an actor and
playwright, was born on the 26th of November 1703. In 1734 he was
acting-manager at the Haymarket, and he subsequently played at Drury
Lane, Lincoln's Inn Fields and Covent Garden. His best impersonation was
as Pistol, but he also distinguished himself in some of the
fine-gentleman parts affected by his father. He was one of the
ringleaders in the intrigues against John Highmore, who had bought a
share in the patent of Drury Lane from Colley Cibber. Theophilus Cibber,
with a number of other actors, seceded from Drury Lane, and in thus
depreciating the value of the patent, for which his father had received
a considerable sum, acted with doubtful honesty. He contemplated the
publication of an autobiography, but was effectually dissuaded by the
appearance (1740) of a scathing account of his career by an unknown
author, entitled _An Apology for the Life of Mr T.... C.... supposed to
be written by himself_. In 1753 he began _The Lives and Characters of
the most Eminent Actors and Actresses of Great Britain and Ireland_, but
he went no further than the life of Barton Booth. He wrote some plays of
no great merit. In 1753 appeared _An Account of the Lives of the Poets
of Great Britain and Ireland_, with the name of "Mr Cibber" on the title
page. The five volumes of _Lives_ are chiefly based on the earlier works
of Gerard Langbaine and Giles Jacob, and the MS. collections of Thomas
Coxeter (1689-1747). The book is said to have been largely written by
Robert Shiels, Dr Johnson's amanuensis. Theophilus Cibber perished by
shipwreck on his way to Dublin to play at the Theatre Royal.

SUSANNAH MARIA CIBBER (1714-1766), wife of Theophilus, was an actress of
distinction. She was the daughter of a Covent Garden upholsterer, and
sister of Dr Arne (1710-1778) the composer. Mrs Cibber had a beautiful
voice and began her career in opera. She was the original Galatea in
Handel's _Acis and Galatea_, and the contralto arias in the _Messiah_
are said to have been written for her. She played Zarah in Aaron Hill's
version of Voltaire's _Zaire_ in 1736, and it was as a tragic actress,
not as a singer, that her greatest triumphs were won. From Colley Cibber
she learned a sing-song method of declamation. Her mannerisms, however,
did not obscure her real genius, and she freed herself from them
entirely when she began t