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HENRY IRVING
grip which he at once takes upon his part.
It may be Hamlet or Mathias, Charles I.
or Louis XL, Lesurques or Dubosc: from
the moment of Mr. Irving's first appear-
ance he gives up to its service " the execu-
tion of his wit, hands, heart." That this
intensity is accompanied by indications of
self-consciousness in the actor, and that
every such indication impairs the worth of
his work, is true; but the injury in this
kind is much less than any one, upon a
merely theoretic consideration of Mr. Ir-
ving's art, would believe to be possible.
His absolute sincerity of purpose is indeed
the burdock which heals most of the
wounds made by the nettle of self-con-
sciousness. The dramatic consequence of
such a high intensity is obviously great,
but the value of the quality in holding the
attention of audiences is inestimable. The
spectator soon discovers that it will not do
to skip any part of the performance; that
if he leaves Mr. Irving out of sight or out
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