of Mr. Highmore; who being ruined by the scheme, the theatre was purchased by Charles Fleetwood, whose management terminated equally unfortunate with that of his predecessor. In 1747, the successful management of Messrs. Garrick and Lacy commenced, which continued until the year 1776, when the property passed to the present proprietors, who having purchased the dormant Killegrew patent, rebuilt the theatre in its present state. The architect was Mr. Henry Holland, who constructed the whole upon an immense and magnificent plan. It was opened in the year 1794, and contains four elegant tiers of boxes, a spacious pit, and galleries. The fronts of the Glale! boxes are adorned with emblems painted in a tasteful manHoner; and the scenery displays excellence in the execution. 43 There is a peculiar convenience attached to Drury Lane theatre, in case of fire, or any other accident; the audience can immediately be separated, by means of an immense iron grating, from the stage; besides which there is a large reservoir of water, which would instantaneously extinguish the threat ened conflagration *.X 606 بھی کیا Returning to the Strand; on the spot where Doiley's warehouse + now stands was Wimbledon House, a large mansion • Drury Lane is capable of containing, in the pit eight hundred persons; the whole range of boxes, eight hundred and twenty-eight; two shilling gallery, six hundred and seventy-five; one shilling gallery, three hundred and eight; total, three thousand six hundred and eleven: amounting to 8261. 6s. There are eight private boxes on each side of the pit; twenty-nine round the first tier, and eleven back-front boxes; twenty-nine round the second tier, of which eleven are six seats deep; ten on each side of the gallery, third tier; nine boxes in the cove on each side. Diameter of the pit fifty-five feet; opening of the curtain forty-three feet in width; height of the curtain thirty-eight feet; height of the house, from the pit floor to the cieling, fifty-six feet six inches. The whole of the building is surmounted by a stone balustrade, and a colossal figure of Apollo. There have been few shops in the metropolis that have acquired more literary celebrity (we mean in such works as only can confer celebrity,) than Doiley's warehouse; which induces us to go a little into the mansion built by Sir Edward Cecil, third son of Thomas, earl of Exeter. Sir Edward was an eminent military character, in the reigns of James I. and Charles I. by the latter, of whom he was created viscount Wimbledon, and baron Cecil, of Putney, in Surrey; but dying issueless, Nov. 15, 1638, the title became extinct. Stow, in his Annals, says, "that it was burned; quite down in November, 1628, and that the day before his lordship had the misfortune of having part of his house at Wimbledon, in Surrey, blown up by gunpowder." At the back the history of it, indeed as far as the tradition of the neighbourhood has furnished us with the means. We have been told, that' the original founder of the house (who, probably, was a refugee, that after the revocation of the edict of Nantz sought an asylum in this kingdom,) formed a connexion in the weaving branch of business with some persons in Spitalfields, whose manufactures, most judiciously fostered by government, and most properly, and indeed patriotically, encouraged by the nobility, &c. were just then ascending toward that eminence which they afterwards attained. Doiley was a man, it is said, of great ingenuity; and probably having also the best assistance, he invented, fabricated, and introduced, a variety of STUFFS, some of which were new, and all such as had never been seen in this kingdom. He combined the different articles silk and woollen, and spread them into such an infinite number of forms and patterns, that his shop became a mart of taste, and his goods, when first issued, the height of fashion. To this the Spectator alludes in one of his papers, when he says to this effect, viz. that “if Doiley had not, by his ingenious inventions, enabled us to dress our wives and daughters in cheap stuffs, we should not have had the means to carry on the war." In another paper, (No. 319.) the gentleman that was so fond of striking bold strokes in dress characteristically observes, "A few months after I brought up the modish jacket, or the coat with close sleeves. I struck this first in a plain Doiley; but that failing, I struck it a second time in blue camlet;" which also was one of Doiley's stuffs. In Vanbrugh's Provok'd Wife, the scene Spring Gardens, Lady Fanciful says to Mademoiselle, pointing to Lady Brute and Belinda, "I fear those Doiley stuffs are not worn for the want of better clothes." This warehouse was equally famous, indeed, in our very early times; it was the grand emporium for gentlemen's night-gowns and caps. We think there was once a controversy carried on in the public papers upon back of Doiley's, towards Exeter Street, there were for merly ruins, which were probably once a part of Wimble don House. THE LYCEUM. When the Society of Artists was incorporated in the year 1765, James Payne, Esq. the architect of Salisbury Street, purchased this part of the ground belonging to Exeter House, on which he built this elegant fabrie as a Lyceum, or academy and exhibition room, to anticipate the royal establishment then in contemplation ; and several exhibitions afterwards took place. The apartments consist of a large saloon, with a sky-light, and lesser apartments. Upon the insolvency of the society, this place was deserted and sold by auction to proprietors, who converted the back part of it into a theatre; and here the late Dr. Arnold and Mr. Dibdin, exhibited their musical talents for some time. It afterwards was taken by Mr. R. K. Porter, for the exhibition of his grand national paintings of "The Siege of Seringapatam ;""The Siege of Acre;" "The Battle of Lodi," The Battle of Alexandria;" and "The Battle of Agincourt;" whilst the theatre was converted to a classical, an useful, and a liberal species of entertainment and information, called "The Egyptiana;" in which was displayed by scenic representation and oral description, the peculiarities of the geography, manners, inhabitants, natural history, &c. of that country. Such a mode of ra tional amusement, however, did not suit the inclination of the beau monde; the magic shadows of the Phantasmagoria, though terrific were attractive; the public chose to be scared rather than informed, and the Lyceum was con the first of these important subjects. However, we find, that in the former part of the eighteenth century, all the beaux that used to breakfast in the coffee-houses appendant to the inns of court struck their morning strokes in this elegant dishabille, which was carelessly confined by a sash of yellow, red, blue, green, &c. according to the taste of the wearer these were also of Doiley's manufacture. This idle fashion was not quite worn out even in the year 1765: we can remember having seen some of those early loungers, in their night-gowns, caps, &c. at Will's, (Lincoln's Inn gate, Serle Street,) about that period.-Moser's Festiges. verted to all the illusions of a Magic Lanthorn! Mr. Moser, has very jocosely described the various purposes to which this dejected fabric has been consigned: "One time," says he," in an evening, a square paper lanthorn, in illuminated characters, informed the public, that books, &c. were to be sold by auction; at another, the ingenious Mr. Flockton, with a brazen trumpet and a brazen face, announced that the facetious Mr. Punch and his merry family, were ready to receive company of any description. This room had erst been used as a Roman Catholic private chapel; and in our own times had, we think, been the receptacle of WILD BEASTS, the school of defence, the audience chamber of those beautiful Honynhums the panther mare and colt, the apartment wherein the White Negro Girl and the Porcupine Man held their levees; and, in short, applied to many other purposes equally extraordinary." When the foundations of the present buildings were dug, a number of vaults were discovered, which were in some degree connected, and showed the extent of X V the antient fabric. X EXETER HOUSE. Here was formerly the parsonage house for the parish of St. Clement Danes, with a garden and close for the parson's horse, till Sir Thomas Palmer, knight, in the reign of Edward VI. came into possession of the living; when, as robbing the church was considered no crime, he appears to have seized upon the land, and began to build a house of brick and timber, very large and spacious; but upon his attainder for high treason, in the first year of queen Mary I. it reverted to the crown; and the next year it was leased by Job Rixman, then rector, to James Basset, Esq. for the term of eighty years, at forty shillings per annum, in the following manner: suage, cartilage, and garden, situate over against the hospital of the Savoy, excepted and fore-prized, one house called the parsonage house, wherein one Francis Nicholas, then dwelt." This house remained in the crown, till queen Elizabeth granted it to Sir William Cecil, lord treasurer, that mes who 607 who augmented and rebuilt it, when it was called Cecil House, and Burleigh House. "It is to be noted that lord Burleigh kept principally two houses or families; one at London, the other at Theobalds. Though he was also at charge both at Burleigh and at court; which made his houses in a manner four. "At his house in London, he kept ordinarily in household fourscore persons; besides his lordship and such as at tended him at court. "The charge of this housekeeping at London, amounted to thirty pounds a week. And the whole sum yearly to 1560.; and this in his absence. "And in term times, or when his lordship lay at London, his charge increased ten or twelve pounds more." "Besides keeping these four houses, he bought great quantities of corn in times of dearth, to furnish markets about his house at under prices, to pull down the price, to relieve the poor. "He also gave, for releasing of prisoners, in many of his latter years, forty and fifty pounds in a term. "And for twenty years together, he gave yearly in beef, bread, and money, at Christmas, to the poor of Westminster, St. Martin's, St. Clement's, and Theobalds, thirtyfive, and sometimes forty pounds per annum. "He also gave yearly to twenty poor men lodging in the Savoy, twenty suits of apparel. "He gave also, for three years before he died, to poor prisoners and poor parishes, in money, weekly, forty-five shillings. "So as his certain alms, besides extraordinaries, was cast up to be 500l. yearly, one year with another."* Burleigh, or Cecil House, as it appears by the antient plan, fronted the Strand; its gardens extended from the west side of the garden wall of Wimbledon House, to the green lane which is now Southampton Street. Lord Bur *Desiderata Curioso, Vol. I. Book I. p. 29. |