LE KAIN.

AFTER having tried his powers in an indifferent company of comedians that occasionally performed dramatic representations at the hôtel de Tonnerre, Le Kain made his debut at the Theatre Français, in the character of Titus, in the tragedy of Brutus, on the 14th of September 1750. His performance, though highly applauded by some, was condemned by others, and so commented upon by his rivals, that he was on the point of entering into an engagement in a foreign country, when the Princess of Robecq honoured him with her support. At the end of two years Madame de Pompadour permitted him to act the part of Orosmane, at Versailles. Ile there triumphed over the insensibility of the king, who, on quitting the theatre, exclaimed," he has made me weep who seldom shed tears." This expression established the reputation of Le Kain. He was, nevertheless, an object of envy; he was called by his enemies the convulsionnaire, and to add to his vexation, he was attacked by a malady which confined him to his chamber for six months. During this period he profoundly reflected on the excellence of his art, and upon his reappearance prepared his friends to see him but feebly applauded. He had in fact altered his manner of acting. His former vehemence, which seduced a portion of his auditors, he wholly abandoned, and his performance was so dignified and correct, that many pronounced he had lost all his energy. Le Kain, however, per

sisted in this style of acting; the pit listened, the connoisseurs supported him, and every day he had the felicity to acquire new admirers.

Le Kain was of the middling size, indifferently made, and of coarse features; yet in spite of these disadvantages he compelled the public to exclaim, on innumerable occasions, qu'il est beau! The French stage is indebted to him for its attention to costume, to scenic propriety, and for the dignity and pomp at present attendant on theatrical representations.

Although he had previously suffered by a long indisposition he performed the character of Vendôme, on the 24th of January 1778, in which he even surpassed himself, and died on the 8th of February in the same year.

Educated by his father, who was a goldsmith, the genius of Le Kain was more solid than brilliant; his judgment was correct, and his heart excellent; and though accused at times of avarice, many unfortunate persons experienced proofs of his liberality. Voltaire called him his Grand Acteur, his Garrick, his enfant chéri, received him every year with much courtesy at Fernez, yet he never saw him perform at the Theatre Français. When Le Kain made his debût Voltaire was in Prussia, and upon his return to Paris, in the year 1778, Le Kain was no longer in being.