Miss Burney said that 'Mr. Cumberland is
notorious for hating and envying and spiting all authors in the dramatic
line.' Mme. D'Arblay's _Diary_, i. 272.
[34] See _ante_, i. 255.
[35] In _The Rambler_, No. 195, Johnson describes rascals such as this
man. 'They hurried away to the theatre, full of malignity and
denunciations against a man whose name they had never heard, and a
performance which they could not understand; for they were resolved to
judge for themselves, and would not suffer the town to be imposed upon
by scribblers. In the pit they exerted themselves with great spirit and
vivacity; called out for the tunes of obscene songs, talked loudly at
intervals of Shakespeare and Jonson,' &c.
[36] See _ante_, ii. 469.
[37] Dr. Percy told Malone 'that they all at the Club had such a high
opinion of Mr. Dyer's knowledge and respect for his judgment as to
appeal to him constantly, and that his sentence was final.' Malone adds
that 'he was so modest and reserved, that he frequently sat silent in
company for an hour, and seldom spoke unless appealed to. Goldsmith, who
used to rattle away upon _all_ subjects, had been talking somewhat
loosely relative to music.
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