droll stories, which have had considerable currency, and found
their way into most of the jest books that have been published for these
thirty years. And it has been in consequence pretty generally believed
that Garrick was a miserable, narrow-souled creature, whom the _auri
sacra fames_ would lead to any kind of meanness, and who was incapable
of a liberal or munificent action. Of him I acknowledge I had formed
this opinion: and such has been the opinion of most of my acquaintances.
It gives me great pleasure to find that the charge is totally
groundless; and that few men ever made a better use of their
wealth--none were more ready with their purse on every occasion where
distress or misfortune petitioned for assistance, or when any public
spirited undertaking had a fair claim upon private liberality.

Malone's sketch of his life, and Boswell's life of Johnson, contain
numberless illustrious instances of his beneficence. Johnson, who was
much in the habit of collecting money among his friends for the relief
of persons in distress or embarrassment, repeatedly declared, that
Garrick was always ready on these occasions, and that his contributions
exceeded those of other persons in equal circumstances.

Garrick's liberality in the establishment of the fund for the relief of
superannuated actors, would alone be sufficient to rescue him from the
charge of avarice. He gave a benefit play yearly for that purpose, in
which he always acted a leading character. He bestowed on the
association two houses for the meetings of the managers;--and when the
latter resolved to sell them, as unnecessary, Garrick bought them at the
valuation which was set upon them. He afterwards bequeathed them by his
will to the increase of the fund.

_As it was damned._

One of Henry Fielding's farces having been hissed from the stage, the
author, when he published it, instead of the usual annunciation, "as it
was performed at the theatre royal," &c. substituted a more correct
reading, "_as it was damned_ at the theatre royal, Drury Lane." This
laudable example of candor has never since been copied by any of the
bards whose performances have experienced the same awful fate.

_Vindication of Lord Rochester._

A miscreant of the name of Fishbourne in the reign of Charles II.
published a vile play, called Sodom, so detestably obscene, that the
earl of Rochester, then in the full career of licentiousness and
debauchery, finding it ascribed to him,