He
offer'd me, la??t Sea??on, not near half as much as he afterwards agreed
to give another Performer, and le??s than he then gave to ??ome others in
his Company; ??o that I mu??t conclude, as every one knows there are
Agreements betwixt the Managers, that there is a De??ign to di??tre??s me,
and reduce me to ??uch Terms as I cannot comply with.
I am ??orry I am reduced to ??ay any thing in favour of my??elf; but, as I
think I merit as much as another Performer, and the Managers are ??o
de??irous to convince me of the contrary, I hope I ??hall be excu??ed;
e??pecially when I declare, that at this time, I am not in the lea??t vain
of my Profe????ion.
As to my Performances, the Audience are the only, proper Judges: But I
may venture to affirm, That my Labour, and Application, have been
greater than any other Performers on the Stage. I have not only acted in
almo??t all the Plays, but in Farces and Mu??ical Entertainments; and very
frequently two Parts in a Night, even to the Prejudice of my Health. I
have been at a very great Expence in Ma??ters for Singing; for which
Article alone, the Managers now give five and ??ix Pounds a Week. My
additional Expences, in belonging to the Theatre, amount to upwards of
one Hundred Pounds a Year, in Clothes, and other Nece????aries; and the
pretended great Salaries, of ten and twelve Pounds a Week, which have
been ??o artfully, and fal??ly repre??ented to the Town, to the Prejudice
of the Actors, will, upon Enquiry, appear to be no more than half as
much, ??ince they performed half Sea??on, at the Theatres, very ??eldom
above three or four Days a Week; ??o taking in the long Vacation, when
there are no Plays at all, to tho??e Days the pre??ent Managers omit
acting, a Salary which appears to be great, will be found, in effect, to
be very moderate; and tho??e which are le??s, not a Sufficiency.
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