good luck to spend it in 7 weeks and a Day which was 6 Days sooner
than we had intended. As soon as we had thus happily disencumbered
ourselves from the weight of so much money, we began to think of
returning to our Mothers, but accidentally hearing that they were
both starved to Death, we gave over the design and determined to
engage ourselves to some strolling Company of Players, as we had
always a turn for the Stage. Accordingly we offered our services
to one and were accepted; our Company was indeed rather small, as
it consisted only of the Manager his wife and ourselves, but there
were fewer to pay and the only inconvenience attending it was the
Scarcity of Plays which for want of People to fill the Characters,
we could perform. We did not mind trifles however--. One of our
most admired Performances was MACBETH, in which we were truly
great. The Manager always played BANQUO himself, his Wife my LADY
MACBETH. I did the THREE WITCHES and Philander acted ALL THE REST.
To say the truth this tragedy was not only the Best, but the only
Play that we ever performed; and after having acted it all over
England, and Wales, we came to Scotland to exhibit it over the
remainder of Great Britain. We happened to be quartered in that
very Town, where you came and met your Grandfather--. We were in
the Inn-yard when his Carriage entered and perceiving by the arms
to whom it belonged, and knowing that Lord St Clair was our
Grandfather, we agreed to endeavour to get something from him by
discovering the Relationship--. You know how well it succeeded--.
Having obtained the two Hundred Pounds, we instantly left the
Town, leaving our Manager and his Wife to act MACBETH by
themselves, and took the road to Sterling, where we spent our
little fortune with great ECLAT. We are now returning to Edinburgh
in order to get some preferment in the Acting way; and such my
Dear Cousin is our History."