ugh all
Beaumont and Fletcher's comedies, and the play
she was reading when captain Farquhar dined
there, was the Scornful Lady. Captain Vanburgh,
shortly after, recommended her to Mr.
Christopher Rich, who took her into the house
at the allowance of fifteen shillings a week. However,
her agreeable figure, and sweetness of voice,
soon gave her the preference, in the opinion of the
whole town, to all our young actresses, and his grace
the late duke of Bedford, being pleased to speak,
to Mr. Rich in her favour, he instantly raised her
allowance to twenty shillings a week; her fame
and salary at last rose to her just merit,

Your humble servant,

Nov. 25, 1730[3].

CHARLES TAYLOUR.'

In the beginning of the year 1700, Farquhar brought his Constant Couple,
or Trip to the Jubilee, upon the stage, it being then the jubilee year
at Rome; but our author drew so gay, and airy a figure in Sir Harry
Wildair, so suited to Mr. Wilks's talents, and so animated by his
gesture, and vivacity of spirit, that it is not determined whether the
poet or the player received most reputation by it. Towards the latter
end of this year we meet with Mr. Farquhar in Holland, probably upon
his military duty, from whence he has given a description in two of his
letters dated that year from Brill, and from Leyden, no less true than
humorous, as well of those places as the people; and in a third, dated
from the Hague he very facetiously relates how merry he was there, at
a treat made by the earl of Westmoreland, while, not only himself, but
king William, and other of his subjects were detained there by a violent
storm, which he has no less humorously described, and has, among his
poems, written also an ingenious copy of verses to his mistress on the
same subject. Whether this mistress was the same person he calls his
charming Penelope, in several of his love letters addressed to her, we
know not, but we have been informed by an old officer in the army, who
well knew Mr. Farquhar, that by that name we are to understand Mrs.
Oldfield, and that the person meant by Mrs. V---- in one of them, said
to be her bedfellow, was Mrs. Verbruggen the actress, the same who was
some years before Mrs. Mountfort, whom Mrs. Oldfield succeeded,
(when Mrs. V---- died some years after in child-bed) with singular
commendation, in her principal parts; and from so bright a flame it was
no wonder that Farquhar was more than ordinarily heat