Theophilus Cibber, son of Colley Cibber (born 1703, died 1758), actor and dramatist, wrote “The Lover” (1730); “Pattie and Peggie” (an adaptation into English of Allan Ramsay’s “Gentle Shepherd”) (1730); “The Mock Officer” (1733); and other pieces. “The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland from the time of Dean Swift” (1753), were attributed to his pen, but Dr. Johnson was of opinion that the work was written by Robert Shiels, a Scotchman.

Personal

  Theo. Cibber was in his person far from pleasing, the features of his face were rather disgusting—his voice had the same shrill treble, but without that musical harmony, which his father was master of—yet still an apparent good understanding and quickness of parts, a perfect knowledge of what he ought to represent, together with a vivacity in his manner, and a kind of effrontery, which was well adapted to the characters he represented, pretty amply compensated these deficiencies—(Biog. Dram.)—he had merit in a variety of characters, but he was so apt to mix false spirit and grimace with his acting that he often disgusted the judicious spectator—Ancient Pistol was his best character; in that part he assumed a ridiculous importance of deportment, with turgid action, long immeasurable strides, extravagant grimaces; and the sonorous cant of the old Tragedizers, so that it was impossible not to laugh at so extravagant a figure—(Davies and Dram. Censor)—he must have been totally inadequate to many of the parts which he played in Tragedy.

  It is recorded that Colley, taking the air one day, encountered his hopeful offspring, who was superbly attired. Cibber, knowing that Theophilus was penniless, surveyed him with contempt. “I pity you, sir!” He said. “Better pity my tailor!” was the reply. Theophilus was at least consistent. He conducted all his affairs on “pity my tailor” principles. This theory of life envolved him in perpetual embarrassments, but he lost nothing of his native audacity. He had talents, and amongst them was a capacity for abusive rhetoric, which was carefully cultivated. But the enterprise which established his fame was his attempt to obtain five thousand pounds for damages to his injured honour as a husband. The jury, having reason to believe that he had been a party to the intrigue, awarded him ten pounds. This sum did not enable him to satisfy his creditors, and he spent some little time in prison.

Lives of the Poets

  He told us, that the book entitled “The Lives of the Poets,” by Mr. Cibber, was entirely compiled by Mr. Shiels, a Scotchman, one of his amanuenses. “The bookseller (said he), gave Theophilus Cibber, who was then in prison, ten guineas, to allow Mr. Cibber to be put upon the title page, as the authour; by this, a double imposition was intended; in the first place, that it was the work of a Cibber at all; and, in the second place, that it was the work of old Cibber.

  This account is very inaccurate. The following statement of facts we know to be true, in every material circumstance:—Shiels was the principal collector and digester of the materials for the work: but as he was very raw in authourship, an indifferent writer in prose, and his language full of Scotticisms, Cibber, who was a clever, lively fellow, and then soliciting employment among the booksellers, was engaged to correct the style and diction of the whole work, then intended to make only four volumes, with power to alter, expunge, or add, as he liked. He was also to supply notes, occasionally, especially concerning those dramatic poets with whom he had been chiefly conversant. He also engaged to write several of the Lives: which, (as we are told), he, accordingly, performed. He was farther useful in striking out the Jacobitical and Tory sentiments, which Shiels had industriously interspersed wherever he could bring them in:—and, as the success of the work appeared, after all, very doubtful, he was content with twenty-one pounds for his labour beside a few sets of the books, to disperse among his friends.

  Cibber’s lives are not ill-written, and deserve a better fame than they seem to have attained.

  In 1753 appeared “An Account of the Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland,” 5 vols. 12mo, with the name of “Mr. Cibber” on the title-page of the first volume, and with Theophilus Cibber’s name attached to the later volumes. Dr. Johnson told Boswell that Cibber, who was then in the king’s bench, accepted ten guineas from the booksellers for allowing them to prefix his name to the lives, and that he had no hand in the authorship of the book, which was mainly written by Robert Shiels (Johnson’s amanuensis); but the truth is that Cibber revised and improved the whole work and wrote some of the lives himself, receiving from the booksellers an honorarium of twenty guineas.