Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-07-22
GARRICK'S COURTsHIPS.
Peg womngton-marIa veIgeI.

AT Drury Lane Garflck IOund
himself associated with his old
friend Macklin, who was deputy
and with that =" dallying
and dangerous" beauty, Peg Wof-
fngton, under whose spell he APP
pears to have fallen as early as
174O. AS an actress she was adj
mirable for the life, the nature and
the grace which she threw into all
she did, set off by a fine person and
a face, which, as her portraits show,
though habitually pehsive in its ex-
preston, was capable of kindling
into passion or beaming with the
sudden and fitful lights of feeling
and fancy. She had been literally
picked out of the streets of Dublir
as a child crying " halfpenny sal
ads," and trained by rope-dancer
Madame Violante, as one Of a Lilli
putian company, in which she fig
ured in such parts as Captain Mac
heath.
Like Rachel and many other cele
brated women she contrived, it i
hard to say how, to educate hersel
so that she could hold her own il
conversation in. anv society: an
such was her natural grace that sh
excelled in characters like "Milla
mant" and "Lady Townley," i
which the wellbred air ofgood societ
was essential. Frank, kindly an
impulsive, she had also wit at wi
TO give piquancy to the expression
lof a very independent turn Of min(
She never sorupled to .avow tina
she preferred the company of me
to that of women, who "talked,
she said, "of nothing but silks an
scandal" The men returned til
compliment by being very fond
her company.
"Forgive her one female error,
soy.s Murphy, "and it might fairl
f@' be- said ri her that she was adorne
Gnrriof Gl54 SvSTy fiFyt fell under her fasoin'
ton these frailties had niHt peeh ~ u
veloped. She was then in u
bloom of her beauty-and ho'
charming that was we can see frol
Hogarth's exquisite portrait-an
though suitors of wealth and ran
surrounded her, genius and yout
had probably more charms for ht
than gold and fine living. Carrie
was deeply smitten by her, and !
seems for time to have thougl
her worthy of an honorable lov
For one season he kept house t
gether with her and Macklin, al
they were visited by his friend
johnson and DR.. Hoadley amor
the number. 1t was thought
would marry her; but Pegs aberl
) tions-her Zone female error" ]"
grew too serious. She was,
truth, an incurable coquette. Gl
|, rick's heart was touched, hers W
b not. 1t cost him a good ma
struggles to break his chains, b
he broke them at last, and left h
finally in l745 to the fools W
Il were outbidding each other for /
D favors.
{ lie was worthy of a better ma
/ and he was to find one before yC
long, for in March of the follow
t. year (1746) the lady came to Ell
: land who was to replace his few
ish passion for the wayward w
, fngton by a devotion which gr
stronger and deeper with every y,
of his life. This was the fair 4
Maria Veigel, which latter ma
she had changed for It's Frer
equivalent, Violette.
She was then twenty-one,
10 dancer, and had come from Vier
with recommendations from
Empress Theresa, who was said
~ have found her too beautiful to
allowed to remain within reach
the Emperor Frederick |. Jup.
Carlyle, returning from his stud
at Eeyden, found himself in
same packet with her, crossing fl
Helvoet to Harwich. She was
y guised in male attire, and this,
ur- though travelling under the pro
l.. l.,1 l. -