This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1827 Excerpt: ...of Betterton, and Booth. One of these latter was a physician, whose name, I have forgotten, though I ought to remember it, because one day after dinner, Topham, half waking from one of his facetious dreams, exclaimed, " Whoever says Doctor was a country midwife, mistakes He was a farrier " then with a loud snore, he again sank into sleep. Another of these patriarchal persons being exceedingly deaf, perceiving a loud roar of laughter, desired the person next him, to roar the joke into his ear, through his trumpet. This operation having been performed, the queer old gentleman solemnly shook his head, muttering, "Oh fie for shame " Then being very near sighted, and mistaking me for Const, he whispered to me across the table, " Mr. Const, it is all very well, when that Reynolds cuts at Andrews, and the lawyers, he he he but when he broadly alludes to. Oh Mr. Const I wish like me, you ould turn a deaf ear to him." I feel, I have forgotten my promise; the Clown again --I cannot, I see, alter my nature; and if therefore the reader has been kind enough to bear with me so far, I fear, that I must request him to continue to accept me in my present character, or to reject me altogether.--I am no actor of all work: --I am simply writing my own light history, in my own light manner; and even if I attempted to be the dull repeater of abstruse, and commonplace speculations, or the sentimental hero, of an exaggerated, romantic narrative, I suspect that the majority of my readers would imitate the example of the Newcastle audience; who, when Stephen Kemble was performing Hamlet, previously to the representation of a pantomime, constantly interrupted him, exclaiming " Tarlequin, tarlequin Punch, punch /" But, to return to the Lio...