Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Companion to the play-house, or, An historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland, from the commencement of our theatrical exhibitions, down to the present year 1764 > Volume 2

B O
to mjke a Co'.Icdion of fifty
Guineas in tlic Boxes during tiac
Time of the Performance, ani
prcfent them to Mr. Eooib,
with this Compliment, That it
was a flight Acknowledgment
for his honejl Oppofuioi^ to a perpe-
tual Di&ator, and his dying fo
bravely in the Cai^fe of Liberty j
bcfidcs which he had another
Prefent of an equal Sum from
the Managers, in Confideration
of the great Succefs of the Play,
which they attributed ia good
Meafure to his extraordinary Me-
rit in the Performance ; and cer-
tain it is, that no one fincc that
Tim J has ever equalled or even
nearly approached his Excellence
in that Charafter.
But thefe were not the only
Advantages which were to accrue
to Mr. Boath from his Succefs in
this Part j for Lord Bolingbrokcy
then one of the Principal Secre-
taries of State, in a little Time
after procured a fpeclal Licence
from Queen Anne, recalling all
the former ones, and nominating
Mr. Booth as joint Manager with
TT'ilks, Cibbcr and Doggct, none of
whom were pleafed at it, but the
lafl more el'pecially took fuch
Dilguft, as to withdraw himfelf
from any farther Share in the
Management,
In 1704, Mr. Booth had mar-
ried a Daughter of Sir William
Barkham, of Norfolk, Bart, v.ho
died in 171 o, without KTue.
After her Death, he engaged in
an Amour with Mrs. Mountford,
who readily put her whole For-
tune, which v^as ccnliderable,
being not lefs than £ 8000, into
his Hands. This however he
very honourably returned to her,
when, on the Difcovery of her
Intimacy with another Gentle-
man, he thought proper to break
B O
off his Connexion with her.- ' •■
She had, however, great Reafcn
to repent of her Infidelity to
him, for her new Lover not only
embezzled and made away with
all her Money, but even treated
her in other Refpe^ls extremely
ill, and was guilty of Mcanncffes
greally incoi.fiftent with the Title
of a Gentleman,
Being now eftablifhed in the
Management, he once more
turned his Thoughts towards Ma-
trimony, and in the Year 1719,
un'ted himfelf in that happy
State to the celebrated Mifs Hefter
iart ctv, a Woman of a moft
amiable Difpofition, whofe great
Merit as an Aclrefs, added to the
utmoft Difcretion and prudential
Oeconomy, had enabled her to
fave up a confiderable Fortune,
which was by no Means unac-
ceptable to Mr. Booth, who^ tho'
a Man that had the flridteft Re-
gard to Juftice and Pun£luality
in his Dealings with every one,
yet was not much inclined to the
faving of Money.
With this valuable Compa-
nion, he continued in the moft
perfe£l State of domeftic Happi-
nefs, till the Year 1727, when
he was attacked by a violent Fe«
ver, which lafted him for forty-
fix Days without Intermiffion j
and altho', thro' the Care and
Skill of thofe great Phyficians
Dr. Frie7id and Dr. Eroxholm, by
whom he was attended, he got
the better of the pi efent Difor-
der, yet from that Time to the
Day of his Death, which was not
till fix Years after, his Health
was never perfectly re-eftablifhed,
— Nor did he ever, during that In-
tepyalj appear on the Stage, except-
ing in the Run of a Play called
the Double Falpood, brought ©n
the Theatre by Mr, Ihcobald in
[C2] ,72^,