Switch to English Switch to French

The Open University  |   Study at the OU  |   About the OU  |   Research at the OU  |   Search the OU

Listen to this page  |   Accessibility

the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
  RED International Logo

RED Australia logo


RED Canada logo
RED Netherlands logo
RED New Zealand logo

Listings for Reader:  

Colley Cibber

 

Click here to select all entries:

 


  

Samuel Richardson : Clarissa

'The Persons who have seen [the manuscript of "Clarissa"], and whom I could not deny, are Dr Heylin, and his Lady, both excellent Judges and fond of Writings of Amusement: Miss Cheyne, Daughter of my late dear Friend the Doctor; a young Lady of Taste and Reading. Mr Freke, the Surgeon, whom once I mentioned to you, and who read it with a Friend of his. Dr Young has seen a great Part of it; and Mr Cibber Senior, having heard of it, and liking "Pamela", was very desirous to see it; and I being put in hope, that he would not spare it, was desirous he should'.

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown, early MS version

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To Mr Cibber

[LP reproduces her lengthy poem 'To Mr Cibber'] 'This met with a very favourable Reception, and Mr [italics] Cibber [end italics] shewed it to all the Noblemen at [italics] White's [end italics], as means to engage them to subscribe to me, which, to oblige him, many of them did; and, to make it public, Mr [talics] Cibber [end italics] inserted it in a Pamphlet of his own called the [italics] Egotist, or Colley upon Cibber [end italics]'.

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To the Right Hon. Henry Pelham, Esq.

[LP reproduces her poem 'To the Right Hon. Henry Pelham, Esq.] 'I shewed these lines to Mr [italics] Cibber [end italics], who liked them so well, that he undertook to deliver them for me. The next morning, early, he waited on him, and then call'd upon me, and, giving me ten Guineas, asked me, whether I thought them a sufficient Reward for my Poetry? I told him, I really did: Well then, said he, Mr Pelham distinguished thus: "There are five Guineas, for the Lady's Numbers; and Five more, for the good Advice they contain; and tell her, I hope God will always give me Grace to follow it". '

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To Colley Cibber, Esq

[LP reproduces her poem 'To Colley Cibber, Esq.] 'Mr [italics] Cibber [end italics] received these Lines with his usual Partiality to me, and my Performances'.

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : Sorrow

[LP recounts her first meeting with Colley Cibber] '"Sit down", said he, "be less ceremonious to be better bred; come, shew me your Writings". I obeyed; and, upon his reading the Poem, called [italics] Sorrow [end italics], he burst into Tears, and was not ashamed to give the flowing Virtue manly Way; he desired a Copy of it - which I gave him'

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : [Poems]

'Every Poem, as I occasionally introduced them, he [Colley Cibber] made me give him a Copy of, and communicated them to the Earl of [italics] Chesterfield [end italics], who positively insisted on it, that I must understand [italics] Greek [end italics], and [italics] Latin [end italics], otherwise I never could write [italics] English [end italics] so well.'

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To Colley Cibber, esq.

[On New Year's Day, 1743, LP published verses in the 'Gazette' in honour of Colley Cibber] 'My dear old Friend was pleased with my Sense of his Goodness to me; only he told me, my Lines were more proper to be addressed to an Archbishop than to him, who had nothing to boast of more than a little common Humanity.'

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Print: Newspaper

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To Mr Cibber

[LP gives the text of a poem 'To Mr Cibber'] 'I sent these Lines to my dear Gentleman, who presently came to me, as I was once more in his Neighbourhood, - and in his cheerful Way, said, "Faith, Child, you have praised me so, that I think, it is the least I can do to make you eat for a Fortnight"; - so he gave me three Guineas'.

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : Roman Father, The; A Tragedy

'However, at all Hazards, I'll venture to stand the Test of publishing the Following, because Mr [italics] Cibber [end italics] approved it.' [LP then reproduces several pages worth of her tragedy, 'The Roman Father']

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To his Excellency the Earl of Chesterfield

[LP wrote a poem 'To his Excellency the Earl of Chesterfield'] 'just as I had finished this poem, [italics] Worsdale came in, and snatched it from me, saying, he would send it himself to his old Friend [italics] Philip [end italics]. I could not get it from him, but as I remembered every syllable of it, I wrote it in a better Hand than that rough Draft I had given Mr [italics] Cibber [end italics], and having the Honour of his Correction, who is a fair and candid Critic, sent it again to him.'

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Laetitia Pilkington : To Mr Cibber

[LP went to visit Colley Cibber] 'and met, according to Custom, a very kind Reception: For his Friendship to me was inviolable. He was writing the [italics] Character and Conduct of CICERO Consider'd [end italics]; and did me the Honour to read it to me: I was infinitely pleased to find, by the many lively Sallies of wit in it, that the good Gentleman's Spirits were undepress'd with Years; - Long may they continue so. This gave me an opportunity of writing a Poem to him [the poem is then reproduced] Mr [italics] Cibber was exceedingly well pleas'd when I waited on him with it, and said, he would give it a Place, but that it wanted Correction, which he promised to bestow on it: This I readily agreed to, being convinced his Judgement far surpassed mine. I waited on him the next Morning, and found he had greatly improved my Work: I thank'd him for his obliging Pains, but remarked his Modesty in having struck out some Lines, in which he was most praised.' [LP then relates how Cibber and other gentlemen gave her money for her poem]

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Colley Cibber : Character and Conduct of Cicero Considered

[LP went to visit Colley Cibber] 'and met, according to Custom, a very kind Reception: For his Friendship to me was inviolable. He was writing the [italics] Character and Conduct of CICERO Consider'd [end italics]; and did me the Honour to read it to me: I was infinitely pleased to find, by the many lively Sallies of wit in it, that the good Gentleman's Spirits were undepress'd with Years; - Long may they continue so. This gave me an opportunity of writing a Poem to him [the poem is then reproduced] Mr [italics] Cibber was exceedingly well pleas'd when I waited on him with it, and said, he would give it a Place, but that it wanted Correction, which he promised to bestow on it: This I readily agreed to, being convinced his Judgement far surpassed mine. I waited on him the next Morning, and found he had greatly improved my Work: I thank'd him for his obliging Pains, but remarked his Modesty in having struck out some Lines, in which he was most praised.' [LP then relates how Cibber and other gentlemen gave her money for her poem]

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Colley Cibber : [an ode]

'Boswell. "You have read his [Cibber's] apology, Sir ?" Johnson. "Yes, it is very entertaining. But as for Cibber himself, taking from his conversation all that he ought not to have said, he was a poor creature. I remember when he brought me one of his Odes to have my opinion of it, I could not bear such nonsense, and would not let him read it to the end; so little respect had I for [italics] that great man! [end italics] (laughing.)"'

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Colley Cibber : [birthday Ode]

'[Johnson said] 'Colley Cibber once consulted me as to one of his birth-day Odes, a long time before it was wanted. I objected very freely to several passages. Cibber lost patience, and would not read his Ode to an end.'

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Manuscript: Unknown

  

Samuel Richardson : Clarissa (volume 3)

Colley Cibber to Samuel Richardson, 30 March 1748 [comments in detail, with page references, on passages in latest instalment of Clarissa, before remarking]: 'I have got through 210 pages [of volume 3] with a continual resolution to give every occasional beauty its laudable remark; but they grow too thick and strong upon me, to give me that agreeable leisure. I read a course of full five hours and a half, without drawing bit (as the jockeys call it); in which time my attention has got the better of my approbation, which all the while longed to tell you how I liked it [goes on to comment further in detail, apparently breaking off and resuming letter to read, and report on, successive passages of text]'.

Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      Print: Book

  

Samuel Richardson : Sir Charles Grandison

Colley Cibber to Samuel Richardson, 6 June 1753, following visit to Richardson on 3 June 1753: 'The delicious meal I made of Miss Byron on Sunday last, has given me an appetite for another slice of her, off from the spit before she is served up to the public table.'

Unknown
Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      

  

Samuel Richardson : Clarissa

Colley Cibber to Samuel Richardson, 27 May 1750: 'I have just finished the sheets [of Clarissa] you favoured me with [...] I have not patience, till I know what's become of her [...] What piteous, d----d, disgraceful, pickle have you plunged her in? For God's sake send me the sequel [...] My girls are all on fire and fright to know what can possibly become of her.'

Unknown
Century: 1700-1799     Reader/Listener/Group: Colley Cibber      

 

Click here to select all entries:

 

   
   
Green Turtle Web Design