Joseph Knight

“ Colley Cibber denied her any 'greater claim to beauty than what the most desirable brunette might pretend to,' but states that 'it was even a fashion among the gay and young to have a taste or tendre for Mrs. Bracegirdle.' She inspired the best authors to write for her, and two of them, Congreve and Rowe, 'when they gave her a lover, in her play, seemed palpably to plead their own passion, and made their private court to her in fictitious character.' Aston, bitter in tongue as he ordinarily is, shared his father's belief in her purity, and has left a sufficiently tempting picture of her. ”

“ Bracegirdle and his jealousy of his victim, contributed. An assumption of virtue, anything but common in those of her position in the days in which she lived, was, however, a principal cause. Into the inquiry how far the merit of 'not being unguarded in her private character,' which, without a hint of a sneer, is conceded her by Colley Cibber, is her due, it is useless now to inquire. Evidence will be judged differently by different minds. ”

“ An amount of publicity unusual even in the case of women of her profession was thrust upon her during her early life. To this the murder of Mountfort by Captain Hill and Lord Mohun, due to the passion of the former for Mrs. ”