Thomas Woodward

“ Day married twice: first, on 3 Nov. 1857, Emma (d. 1869) , daughter of Dr. Charles Covey of Basingstoke; and, secondly, on 13 April 1872, Emily (d. 1873) , youngest daughter of the Rev. Thomas Sheepshanks, vicar of St. ”

“ Woodward. But will Mr. Woodward marry me, sir? because he said he would—in the coorse of some time.”
“And if he said so don't be uneasy; he is a gentleman, and a gentleman, you know, always keeps his word. Don't be alarmed, my pretty girl—your lover will provide for you.”
“Am I to pay you anything, sir?” she asked, rising.
“No, my dear, I will take no money from you; but if you wish to save Mr. Woodward from danger, you will enable the soldiers to, arrest Shawn-na-Middogue. Even you, yourself, are not safe so long as he is at large.” ”

“ Miss Woodward.
You have unconsciously shown me to-day that I was wrong.
Parbury.
Indeed! I would be glad to know how. Oh, how weary one gets of mysteries! [Miss Woodward’s head droops lower.] [He walks the stage, then looks at Miss Woodward and pauses; he goes to her and speaks more gently.] I beg your pardon, I fear I spoke impatiently. Do understand that I only wish for your own good. I admit in our relations I’ve hitherto been rather selfish. I’m afraid writing men are prone to be so. ”

“ On medical subjects Woodward wrote but little. The one work published during his lifetime was his ‘State of Physic’ (1718) , in which he attacked the work of Dr. John Freind [q. v.] The dispute that arose in consequence was carried on with great acrimony and violence between the partisans of either side; Dr. Richard Mead [q. v.] went as far as to assault Woodward one evening in June 1719 as the latter was entering Gresham College. Swords were drawn and a fracas ensued, in which Woodward lost his footing and lay at the mercy of his adversary, when the bystanders intervened. ”

“ His own walk was quick and rapid, whilst that of this incomprehensible figure was slow and solemn, and yet he could not lessen the distance between them a single inch.
“Stop, sir,” said Woodward, “whoever or whatever you are—stop, I wish to speak with you; be you mortal or spiritual, I fear you not—only stop.” ”

“ Woodward,” said Goodwin, much moved; “God knows I am. Blessed be the peace-maker, and you are he; an easy conscience and a light heart must be your reward.”
“They must,” added his wife, wiping her eyes; “they must and they will.”
“Alas!” proceeded Woodward, “how far from Gospel purity is every human motive when it comes to be tried by the Word! ”

“ Woodward,” he added, addressing that gentleman, “remember that I told you that I sleep with one eye open.”
“If you have any doubts, my lord, on this subject,” replied Woodward, “you may imitate me: sleep with both open.”
“Ay, as the hares do, and devil a bit they're the better for it; but, in the meantime, what property have you, or will you have? There is nothing like coming to the point.”
“My lord,” replied Woodward, “I respect Miss Riddle too much to enter upon such a topic in her presence. ”

“ Conolly's sister was the wife of John Hobart, second earl of Buckinghamshire [q. v.] , lord lieutenant from 1777 to 1780, and to his influence Woodward owed his later preferments. On 31 Jan. 1764 he was installed dean of Clogher, retaining his preferment till 1781. On 4 July 1772 he was installed chancellor of St. Patrick's, and in May 1778 he exchanged his chancellorship for the rectory of Louth.
Woodward took a keen interest in the welfare of the Irish poor, and in 1768 he published ‘An Argument in Support of the right of the Poor in Ireland to a National Provision’ (Dublin, 8vo) . ”

“ At this Sis looked up and laughed, and they all laughed except Puss, who eyed Woodward with an air of faint curiosity, and dryly remarked—
"I reckon you hain't brung me my maccaboy snuff. I lay me an' my snuff wan't in your min'. 'Let the old hen cluck,' ez the sparrer-hawk said when he courted the pullet. Well," she continued, smiling with genuine satisfaction as she saw that Woodward no more than half-relished the comparison, "I better be seein' about dinner. Ol' folks like me can't live on love." ”

“ Come! And after we get through, if you don't say that my business with you is more important than your business with me, then I'll agree to carry you to Hog Mountain on my back. Now that's a fair and reasonable proposition. What do you say?"
Woodward spoke with unusual warmth, and there was a glow of boyish frankness in his tone and manners that Teague found it hard to resist.
"Well, they's thes this much about it," he said; "my business is mighty troublesome, an' yit hit's got to be settled up." ”

“ Captain Woodward's kindness towards him and the good news he received from his wife, effected a wonderful alteration in Clare's appearance, and the little doctor congratulated him on his returning health.
"I'm better, thankee, sir—wonderfully better—but at times my heart beats so that I can hardly breathe. I think it's better, though, since I've been coxswain."
"You see how foolish you were to worry yourself about what has proved to be an idle fear, as all your surmises have turned out to be incorrect." ”

“ But, at all events, I assure you of this fact, that, if I do not marry him, I shall never marry another.”
“Great God!” exclaimed Woodward, “what a jewel he has lost. Well, Miss Goodwin, I have nothing further to say; if I am wrong, time will convict me. I have mentioned these matters to you, not on my own account but yours. I have no hope of your affection; and if there were any living man, except myself, to whom I should wish to see you united, it would be my brother Charles—that is, if I thought he was worthy of you. ”

“ Woodward always found a defender in Garrick. Foote, who abused hospitality by mimicking his host, called Woodward a "contemptible fellow," when he heard that the latter was about to dress Malagene so as to look like Foote. "He cannot be contemptible," said Garrick, "since you are afraid of him in the very line in which you yourself excel." [367] Of course, being naturally a comic actor, Woodward had an affection for tragedy; but it was not in him to utter a serious line with due effect. His scamps were perfect in their cool impudence; his modern fops shone with a brazen impertinence ”

“ A train of cars ran puffing and roaring under the bridge, and as Woodward turned to follow it with his eye he saw standing upon the other side a tall, gaunt, powerful-looking man, whom he instantly recognised as Teague Poteet. Teague wore the air of awkward, recklessly-helpless independence which so often deceives those who strike the mountain men for a trade. Swiftly crossing the bridge, Woodward seized Teague and greeted him with a cordiality that amounted to enthusiasm. ”

“ He had also been seen as Ranger, Jodelet in his alteration of the ‘Man's the Master’ (1775, 8vo) on 3 Nov. 1773, and Lord Foppington in the ‘Man of Quality.’ His ‘Harlequin's Jubilee’ was given at Covent Garden in 1770. His ‘Seasons,’ founded on the ‘Spectator,’ is included in Mrs. Bellamy's ‘Apology’ for her life. Woodward's last appearance was on 13 Jan. 1777, when he played Stephano in the ‘Tempest.’ On 18 March he was too ill to act for his benefit. On 17 April he died at his house, Chapel Street, Grosvenor Place, and was buried in the vaults of St. George's, Hanover Square. Mrs. ”

“ The intensity of Woodward's malignity and villany was such that, as we have mentioned before, on some occasions he forgot himself into such a state of mind, and, what was worse, into such an expression of countenance, as, especially to Barney Casey, who so deeply suspected him, challenged observation. ”

“ Harry Woodward now began to apprehend that, as the reader sees, either his star or that of Shawn-na-Middogue must be in the ascendant. He accordingly set to work with all his skill and craft to secure his person and offer him up as a victim to the outraged laws of his country, and to a government that had set a price upon his head, as the leader of the outlaws ”

“ Del Mar made his way back quickly over the roof, back through the scuttle and down the stairs again. Should he go out? He looked out of the window. Then he went to the door. An instant he paused thinking and listening, his axe raised, ready for a blow.
Arnold and Woodward, by this time, had reached the door which swung open on its rusty hinges. Woodward was about to go in when he felt a hand on his arm. ”

“ High time, is it not, dear Mrs. Woodward, for our absentee landlord to repair his neglect?"
"The farm-steadings have first claim to repair, I'm afraid, Blanche," returned Paul, refusing his part. "The church will have to stand over as a luxury."
Lady George, even in her indignation, hastened to cover the imprudence, for the Woodwards were distinctly high.
"Not a bit of it, Paul! We will all set to work at once, Mr. Gillespie, and see what can be done--won't we, dear Mrs. Woodward?"
"I would suggest writing to the Bishop as the first step," said the Reverend James, modestly. ”

“ Charles Robinson, various drawings seem to show, but few of these illustrators have the originality and purpose that allow Miss Woodward to enlarge her range of expression without nullifying the spontaneity of her work. She has illustrated over a dozen books, beginning with 'Banbury Cross' in 1895, and mostly she treats her subject with humour and variety and with a consistent idea of the pictorial aspect of things. She has quick appreciation of unconscious humour in attitude and in expression, though she seems at times to rely too much on memory, thereby diminishing vividness. ”

“ Woodward played Mercutio in the full dress of a very fine gentleman of Woodward's day; it was unexceptionable as costume, though not fitting in the play. Then, he was one of the few lucky actors who never seemed to grow old. After nigh upon half a century of labour, his Fitzpatrick, [124] in "News from Parnassus," was as young in look and buoyant in manner as the Spruce of his earlier days. He was also among one of the few judicious and generous actors, when in the highest favour with the town ”

“ Presently the man was persuaded to pick a wild rose, and as he was about to pass me I backed roughly against him, almost sending him off his feet. When he had regained his equilibrium and was on the point of rebuking me, I turned furiously upon him: "Say, you foreign tenderfoot," I said, "you got a preemption on the whole earth? If so, just fence it in. Don't yer brush me that way agin, or I'll show yer how we trim moustaches out in this country when our razors ain't sharp. Understand?" ”

“ At the end of the season of 1757–8 Woodward finally severed his connection with Drury Lane. His last engagement had been prodigal of interest and incident. He was Garrick's right-hand man, and divided with him the empire over comedy. His Mercutio, when Garrick and Barry in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ divided the town, had been an unsurpassable triumph. Murphy said, concerning the performance, that ‘no actor ever reached the vivacity of Woodward.’ His performance of Bobadil was pronounced ‘ wonderful’ by Tate Wilkinson. ”

“ The devilish old herbalist, and his equally devilish niece, together with the conjurer and forger, who had assumed the character of the Black Spectre, were all hanged, through the instrumentality of Valentine Greatrakes, who had acquired so many testimonies of their villainy and their crimes as enabled him, in conjunction with the other magistrates of the county, to obtain such a body of evidence against them as no jury could withstand. It was, probably, well for Woodward that the middogue of the outlaw prevented him from sharing the same fate, and dying a death of public disgrace. ”

“ Woodward was at one time a good man, in the mercantile view of the phrase, for he was a rich man. Unfortunately, he was induced by Spranger Barry to become partner with him in the Dublin Theatre,—in which venture, Woodward lost all he had saved; and Barry, too, made shipwreck of his fortune. Garrick passed from the stage to years of repose and enjoyment. [368] Barry and Woodward could not quit it till, having had more than enough of labour, Death summoned them to a, perhaps, not unwelcome rest. ”

“ W. King, was thought at the time to be the work of Woodward, who, however, warmly resented the imputation.
Woodward died of a decline in his apartments at Gresham College on 25 April 1728, and was buried the May-day following in Westminster Abbey, close to Sir Isaac Newton (Chester, Westm. Abbey Reg. p. 322) . By his will he directed his personal estate, with his library and collection of antiquities, to be sold, and land of the yearly value of 150l. to be bought and conveyed to the university of Cambridge; 100l. ”

“ I do not doubt a moment of Woodward having made all possible applications, and in that supposition, the critical circumstances of Garrick's own affairs, and the hurry and perplexity he has been in, can alone account for his behaviour. Holland desires that you will be assured of his esteem, of his attachment and friendship for you, and how much he wishes to convince you of those sentiments, nothing will be able to efface them out of his heart; and the same I dare answer for Foote, whom we have not seen since last summer, but who is expected here at the beginning of August. ”

“ Woodward was, according to Wood, ‘always puritanically affected,’ and in 1641 he began to employ himself in controversial writing and preaching on the presbyterian side. He probably preached in St. Mary's, Aldermanbury, of which Edmund Calamy the elder [q. v.] had then the cure. He seems, however, to have been soon drawn into some sympathy with the independents. In 1644 he published ‘Inquiries into the Causes of our Miseries’ anonymously, and without a license. Only two of three completed sections were issued ”