and Mrs. Blacklock at Troquire, at dinner, with great pleasure, and said to the Doctor, "I rejoice to meet here our blind and witty Apollo, who will play on his flute the music of the stars." Dr Blacklock replied, "You to my faults are ever blind, This meeting of friends was in September, 1775. Mr. Ewart had written the following verses to Dr. Blacklock that morning, and sent them to him at Dumfries, one mile from Troquire. "Welcome, dear Blacklock, to your native clime; Devotion and philosophy impart Light to your head, and warmth unto your heart. Long may you live, while distant climes shall praise JOHN EWART. The Editor has the original of these lines, dated September, 1775. Dr. Blacklock died 14th July, 1791, upwards of seventy years of age. He published, at Edinburgh, two volumes on the Consolations derived from Natural and Revealed Religion. In 1768, he published Two Discourses on the Spirit and Evidences of the Christian Faith; and a second edition of his volume of Poems, in quarto. : EDWARD ALLEYN, ESQ. He was a celebrated comedian in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James the First, distinguished by great charity, being the founder of a College in the county of Surrey, which has flourished remarkably to this day. His parents were respectable, and had an estate in Yorkshire. He was born in London, where Devonshire-square now stands, at the sign of "The Pye ;" and, by a paper in his own hand-writing, it appears that he had never been engaged in any deep studies, but "had," says Dr. Fuller, "excellent natural talents, with great memory and fluency of speech, with an active disposition and lively temper." If we may judge from his picture at the College at Dulwich, he had a good countenance and manly person. With all such qualifications, it is not wonderful that the stage was attractive to him. He was considered "superlative," or " peerless," as an actor of that time, about 1590. He is decribed as being the "delight" of the town and country. No matter what the play was, the most inferior writer of comedy or tragedy was sure to be agreeable if he acted the chief parts. The audience were charmed by his performance. The famous Ben Johnson, who wrote many plays and poems, says "Richard Burbage and Edward Alleyn are two such incomparable actors as no age must hope ever to see again." There was a famous poet of that period, whose name was Thomas Heywood. He has described Edward Alleyn as "the best of actors, whose memory would last for ever, being peerless, and a man who would do wrong to no man, yet Proteus in shape and countenance, and Roscius for a tongue of eloquence." His establishment of a charitable College proved that he was not an extravagant or profligate man; although he was denominated, in a patent granted by King James, as follows, " To our trusty and wellbeloved Edward Alleyn, Esq. of Dulwich, in our county of Surrey, chief master, ruler, and overseer of our games of bears and bulls, and mastiff-dogs, and mastiff-bitches, &c." Nevertheless this good man and his wife resolved to build a College for charity, to be a remembrance and memorial of their virtues 1. It seems wonderful that literature had made so little progress, or that talents and virtues, with genteel fortune, had not made the name of Edward Alleyn more celebrated. But being conscious of The motives which vulgar report assigned for his building and founding the College are too ridiculous to be repeated, that the Devil appeared to him in a dream, by which Mr. Alleyn was so frightened as to induce him to leave the theatre, and build a college and hospital. integrity, and having humane and benevolent feelings, and having no children to provide for, he resolved not to trust this work of charity to any person after his death, but to accomplish the work himself. We find in his quarterly accompts, written and signed by himself, Thanks to God for this gift of money, which could not be better expended than in charity. It adds lustre to the act, that he did not trust to the hearts, hands, and eyes of others, but did the good work himself, while in health and strength, and before he was forty-eight years of age. We cannot doubt of his having read these words of Scripture: Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; charity suffereth long, and is kind, charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, all things shall vanish away, but charity never faileth'. He began the building at Dulwich, in Surrey, about five miles south of London bridge, after a plan of Mr. Inigo Jones. The work was in forwardness in 1614. It was supposed he had determined to spend 10,000l. upon it. No man of his profession had ever done any thing that could be compared to this work. The words of the deed are "It is to be a very fair hospital for six poor men and six poor women, and twelve children from the age of four to six years, to be kept to the age of fourteen or sixteen years. Their schoolmaster 11 Cor. xiii. 4-8. |