l of his teeth having been shot
out, and his face and jawbone much shattered--he addressed a letter in
_The Daily Post_ to his friends, in which he stated the uncertainty of
his being ever able to appear on the stage again, and expressed his
hopes "that they would excuse his not making a personal application to
them." So again, on the occasion of Mr. Chapman's benefit, in 1739,
there appears in the playbill an announcement: "N.B.--I being in
danger of losing one of my eyes, and advised to keep it from the air,
therefore stir not out to attend my business at the theatre. On this
melancholy occasion I hope my friends will be so indulgent as to send
for tickets to my house, the corner of Bow Street, Covent Garden,
which favour will be gratefully acknowledged by their obedient, humble
servant, THOMAS CHAPMAN." The excuses set forth in these announcements
appear to be very sufficient, and no doubt were so regarded by the
patrons in each case, while at the same time they demonstrate the
conduct required ordinarily of persons anxious for public support on
the occasion of their benefits. Excuses of a lighter kind, however,
seem frequently to have been held adequate by the players. Mr.
Sheridan, the actor, notifies in 1745 that, "as his benefit was not
appointed till last Friday, he humbly hopes that such ladies and
gentlemen as he shall omit to wait on will impute it rather to a want
of time than to a want of respect and knowledge of his duty." And Mr.
Yates, who about the same time had migrated from the West-end stage to
the humbler theatre in Goodman's Fields, and announced Fielding's
"Miser" for his benefit--"the part of Lovegold to be attempted by Mr.
Yates after the manner of the late Mr. Griffin"--apologises "for not
waiting on ladies and gentlemen, as he is not acquainted with that
part of the town." Whether this somewhat lofty plea of ignorance of
their neighbourhood, however, affected unfavourably the actor's claims
upon the denizens of Goodman's Fields, cannot now be ascertained. In
time notices of this kind disappeared altogether from the playbills.
At the present day an actor, of course, does his best to conciliate
patronage, and in his own immediate circle of friends some little
canvassing probably takes place to promote the sale of tickets; but
these matters are arranged privately, and the general public is
relieved from the calls of actors and their personal appeals for
support. Indeed, the old system is now in a