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458 CENTLIVRE. Body." This play, though greatly inferior to the former, met with a favourable reception, and the Duke of Portland, to whom it was dedicated, made the authoress a present of forty guineas. In 1717, her admirable comedy of "A Bold Stroke for a Wife," was performed at Lincoln's Inn Fields. In this play she was assisted by Mr. Mottley, who wrote a scene or two entirely. It was extremely well received, although Mr. Wilks very cayalierly de- clared, that "not only Mrs. Centlivre's play would be damned, but she herself would be damned for writing it. The above opinions of Mr. Wilks ought to be regis- tered in theatrical annals, as hints to those ladies and gentlemen of the sock and buskin, who decide on the merit of an author by the first ten lines they may casually glance upon, and whose judgments are formed from the opinions of the property-man or prompter at the rehearsal. In 1714, her excellent play of "The Wonder, a Wo- man keeps a Secret!" was acted at Drury Lane theatre; it was very successful, and Garrick threw a new lustre on it, by reviving it with some judicious alterations, and by his inimitable performance of Don Felix. It has been successively rendered popular by the admirable perform- ances of Mrs. Jordan, in Violante, and Elliston, in Don Felix; and still keeps possession of the stage. Besides the dramatic effusions which have been already mentioned, she produced several others, the titles of which are to be found in the Biographia Dramatica. She died in Spring gardens, Charing cross, on the 1st of December, 1723, and was buried at St. Martin's in the Fields, She possessed a considerable share of beauty, was Since so much has been lately said relative to theatrical management, we cannot forbear hinting, that we conceive the theatres must lhave been infinitely better managed in those days than at preseut, as almost every piece produced was successful; whereas, in the records of both houses of the present day, it would be difficult to find any thing (with the excep tion of pantomimes) that has kept possession of the stage; and truly has their theatrie course been characterised by a parodist, who said, "The failure of to-morrow, succeeds unto the condemnation of to-night,"