as then a witness, and of which he afterwards became the
preserver and the model. It is well known that Le Kain and Mad. Clairon
cast off the ridiculous dresses of the old actors, and consulted the
costume of their characters, and that they were the first who
established it on the French stage. Le Kain himself designed dresses
suitable to his parts: he spared nothing to render them as brilliant as
he judged necessary, at a time when these decorations were very
indifferent. He paid equal attention to all the _minutiae_ of the
performance. He made himself master of the scene, and at one view
commanded every surrounding object. He was well versed in history,
letters, and every species of knowledge connected with his art. He was
passionately fond of poetry, and nobody knew how to recite verses better
than himself. Le Kain carried into company much of simplicity, a deal of
information independent of his professional knowledge, good sense, wit,
and sometimes gayety, although his character, in general, was inclined
to melancholy, in consequence of being so constantly employed in
conceiving and expressing the higher passions. It were vain to attempt
to analyse his talents;--they who have seen him play can alone form any
just idea of them. He was not an actor; he was the very person he
represented. He finished his theatrical career with the part of
_Vendome_, in _Adelaide Duguesclin_, eight days before his death. Just
before he went on the stage, he said, he felt an ardor that he had never
felt before, and that he hoped to play his character very well. In fact,
he appeared to surpass himself; he astonished and charmed the whole
audience, and he could not refrain from an indulgence upon this occasion
which he seldom allowed himself. He appeared to give out the play, and
received the loudest applause from all parts of the theatre, which was
continued long after he had quitted the stage.

This fine actor, it is said, from an imprudent exposure of his health,
was seized with an inflammatory fever, which in four days brought him to
his grave. He met the approaches of death without alarm, and surrounded
by his friends, resigned himself cheerfully to his fate. He died on the
8th of February, 1778.

The manner in which Le Kain made his way to distinction, on the French
stage, is very remarkable, and it proves that a performer may sometimes
be a better judge of his own abilities than the manager; but how few
actors are there that posses