but meeting with disappointments, engaged with Mr Griffith, manager of the Norwich theatre; where he refumed his real name, and played several years with fuch increasing reputation, as induced the Bath manager to offer him a very liberal falary at that theatre. It was accepted by Mr. Murray, and he made his first appearance in that company in the autumn of 1785. The celebrity which he here acquired in first rate characters, foon made his abilities known to the London managers; and offers of a very liberal nature were repeatedly made him, but without effect. In the year 1796, however, the death of Mr. Farren having left an opening at Covent Garden, he was, by the earnest folicitation of fome friends, prevailed upon to accept an engagement from Mr. Harris, for five years, upon very liberal terms. This melancholy intelligence for the Bath audience, was first made known to them on the play bill for Mrs. Murray's benefit; where Mr. Murray notified his intention of delivering a farewell address. The house was crowded at an early hour; and, at the end of the play, he came forward under confiderable embarrassment, occafioned by the tumultuous applause with which he was received, and addressed the audience nearly in the following words: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, "Though I have long ruminated on the mode I should adopt on the present occasion, yet I felt that I must chiefly depend on the impulfe of the moment I That moment is now arrived; and I truly feel it as the most anxious, I am certain it is the most eventful period of my life ! "Established in many friendly connections in this city; knitted in the closest ties of mutual regard with all behind the scenes; indulged and honoured by your continued favours and protection; the idea of foregoing fuch focial comfort, and diftinguished patronage, must Bb 3 be 1 be distreffing; and I could almost with the die had not been caft. "I venture to quit this fituation for one in the me. tropolis. The certain augmentation of my income has been my great allure.-I may add-ultimately to look up to an establishment for, perhaps, a widowed race, unforeseen calamity, or declining years, When service shall my old limbs lie lame, "The change I confess to be the most serious, from an audience who would fee none of my demerits, to one which may not, perhaps, conceal any of my defects.Though I have the pleasing confolation of reflecting that generofity of fentiment, the characteristic of Bath, is the leading feature of a London auditory. But whatever may be my future lot, no change can obliterate the memory of repeated favours heaped on me by the gene. rous inhabitants of this city. Farewell!" He was frequently interrupted during the course of his address, and at the conclufion, honoured with the moft heartfelt plaudits of the whole house." A just tribute," says Mr. Meyler, "to a man of cultivated genius and understanding; g; who in all parts We spectable, and in some particular lines unrivalled. shall lofe in him a great actor, void of conceit and of tentation." was re Mr. Murray, as an actor, poffeffes great powers. With a face admirably calculated to reprefent the paffions, and a judgment capable of the niceft difcrimina tion, he has been enabled to undertake the most arduous and intricate characters, and perform them to the entire fatisfaction of the most faftidious critics. His voice is, unfortunately, not fufficiently powerful for great exertion in a large theatre: but this defect is amply compenfated by the melody of its middle tonés, and its incom parable force and sweetness in the pathetic. His Old Norval Norval was the most chafte and animated performance we have ever witnessed. It displayed the feelings of the venerable peasant so effectually, as to leave scarce a dry eye in the whole house. He acted-No: he did not alt; nature, through him, displayed herself in such glowing colours, as to excite the livelieft emotions of compaffion in our breasts for her forrows, of pleasure at her rejoicing, and our most hearty sympathy in all her feelings. What is said of his performance of this part, will, with very little alteration, apply to his reprefentation of all characters where genuine pathos is required. Those of them which we have had the pleasure to fee, we, without hefitation, pronounce incomparably executed. The specimen of his talent for genteel comedy, which he gave us in the Guardian, was fufficient. We there plainly faw, that a gentleman on the stage had once more made its appearance; and that genteel comedy had again found a substantial pillar. Mr. Murray has been before us but a short time; we can not, therefore, pretend to fay what the extent of his powers are. In Old Norval, Lusignan, Alcanor, and characters of a fimilar cast, we can fafely pronounce him un rivalled; whilst his Heartly gives us strong reafons for conceiving the fame of his gentlemen in comedy. Of his tragic heroes we can, as yet, say but little. We are happy, however, that the indifpofition of Mr. Holman * puts it in our power to say, that he has great qualifications for the higher walk of tragedy. We should like to fee his Roman Father, Macbeth, Lear, and Sciolto; being well convinced they must receive great force from his representation. We shal here subjoin an elegant tribute paid to Mr. Murray's talents, by Mr. Colls, manager of the Worcester theatre, which appeared in the Bristol papers about the year 1787. It may ferve to give some idea * See our Dramatic Review of this month. of of his performance of those characters which we have expressed a wish to fee him in. It is, at least, the effu fion of a warm heart. TO MR. CHARLES MURRAY. To you I dedicate my lays, To paint the fubtlety and rage When Leonato, hoary sage, Laments Laments his daughter's shame; 'Tis in fuch characters as these, But tho' fuch parts you amply fill, Mr. Murray's private conduct is unexceptionable. It has, wherever he has charced to refide, acquired him the friendship and esteem of the first characters. At Bath and Bristol, where his stay was something confiderable, his connections were extensive and valuable. So rivetted, indeed, were his affections to a numerous acquaintance in both those places, that the powerful allurements of a large addition to his income, proved, repeatedly, too feeble to produce a separation. And when, at length, family confiderations performed what mercenary views could not accomplith, he was separated from his endearing friends, perfonally indeed, but not in memory. That genuine friendship which for so long a time endeared them to each other, still animates his bosom with equal fervour, and makes him feel the moft |