When the Actors Affairs obliged 'em to return to the Theatres la??t
Winter, under ??uch Abatements of their Salaries as hardly afforded the
greater Part of them a Sub??i??tence, I was offered, by the Manager of
_Drury-Lane_ Theatre, ??uch Terms as bore no Proportion to what he gave
other Performers, or to tho??e he had offered me at the beginning of the
Sea??on. They were ??uch as I was advi??'d not to accept, becau??e it was
known they were propo??ed for no rea??on but to in??ult me, and make me
??eek for better at the other Theatre; for I knew it had been ??ettled, by
??ome dark Agreement, that Part of the Actors were to go to
_Covent-Garden_ Theatre, and others to _Drury-Lane_; I did, indeed,
apprehend I ??hould meet with better Terms at _Covent-Garden_, becau??e
that Manager had made many Overtures to get me into his Company the
preceding Sea??on, and many times before: But when I apply'd to him, he
offered me exactly the ??ame which I had refu??ed at the other Theatre,
and which I likewi??e rejected, but was per??uaded to accept ??ome very
little better, rather than ??eem ob??tinate in not complying as well as
others, and yielded ??o far to the Nece????ity of the Time, as to Act under
a much le??s Salary than ??everal other Performers on that Stage, and
??ubmitted to pay a Sum of Money for my Benefit, notwith??tanding I had
had one clear of all Expence for Nine Years before; an Advantage the
fir??t Performers had been thought to merit for near Thirty Years, and
had grown into a Cu??tom.
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