ve itself; describing that passion in so ecstatic a
manner as seemingly to justify his fears

"That not another comfort like to this
Succeeds in unknown fate."

Through the whole of the third act, where Iago is working him to
jealousy, his breaks of _love_ and _rage_ were masterpieces of nature,
and communicated its first sympathies; but in his conference with
Desdemona, in the fourth act, where he describes the agonizing state of
his mind, and then, looking tenderly on her, exclaims,

"But there, where I had garnered up my heart,
Where either I must live or bear no life,"

the extremes of love and misery were so powerfully painted in his face,
and so impressively given in his tones, that the audience seemed to lose
the _energies of their hands_, and could only thank him _with their
tears_.

We have to lament, that in many of the last acts of some of our best
dramatic writers, there wants that degree of finish and grouping equal
to the rest. Shakspeare sometimes has this want in common with others;
but in this play he has lost none of his force and propriety of
character--here all continue to speak the language of their
conformation, and lose none of their original importance. Barry was an
actor that, in this particular, kept pace with the great poet he
represented--he supported Othello throughout with unabating
splendor--his ravings over the dead body of the _innocent_ Desdemona,
his reconciliation with Cassio, and his dying soliloquy, were all in the
full play of varied excellence, and forced from the severest critic the
most unqualified applause.

That this our opinion is not exaggerated, we refer to that of Colley
Cibber, an unquestionable good judge of his art, and who, with all his
partialities to Betterton, yet gave Barry the preference in Othello. In
short, it was from first to last a gem of the noblest kind, which can be
no otherwise defined than leaving every one at liberty to attach as
much excellence to it as he can conceive, and then suppose Barry to have
reached that point of perfection.

His other favourite characters were, Jaffier, Orestes, Castalio,
Phocias, Varanes, Essex, Alexander, Romeo, &c. In all characters of this
stamp, where the lover or hero was to be exhibited, Barry was _unique_;
insomuch, that when Mrs. Cibber (whose reputation for love and plaintive
tenderness was well known) played with Garrick, she generally
represented his _daughter_ or _sister_--with Barry she