TO most people, Joe Miller is rather a name than a man: the name is famous, while of the man who bore the name so little is known. By a figure of speech, any specially old and effete joke is described as a "Joe Miller," because of a little volume entitled "Joe Miller's Jests, or the Wit's Vade-Mecum," first published, at the price of one shilling, in the year 1739, and popularly supposed to be a perfect encyclopædia of antiquated facetiousness. As a matter of fact, however, the veritable Joe Miller had no connection or acquaintance with "Joe Miller's Jests." The work appeared one year after his death, and owed its existence to a certain John Mottley, a gentleman of good family, whom circumstances had constrained to live precariously by such use as he could make of his wits and his pen. Compiling the Jest Book he assumed the name of Elijah Jenkins, and affected to be a friend of the recently departed Miller. The catalogues of dramatic poets include the name of John Mottley as the author of "The Imperial Captain," a tragedy dealing with the history of Genseric, king of the Vandals, printed in 1720, and performed for four nights at the theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields; and of a comedy called "The Widow Bewitched," successfully presented at the Goodman's Fields Theatre in 1730. In his youth he had been placed in the Excise Office; he resigned his appointment there, however, Lord Halifax having promised him a Commissionership of Wine Licenses; the promise was not kept, nor did Sir Robert Walpole fulfil certain hopes he had encouraged that he would bestow upon Mottley a place in the Exchequer. "Among several pieces he has given to the public," writes a biographer, "is that which bears the title of 'Joe Miller's Jests,' a collection made by him from other books, and a great part of it supplied by his memory from original stories recollected in his former conversations." Mottley lived to see his Jest Book become a sort of standard work; he died in 1750. The book, it may be added, is described on its title-page as "a collection of the most brilliant jests, the politest repartees, the most elegant bon-mots, and most pleasant short stories in the English language, first carefully collected in the company and many of them transcribed from the mouth of the facetious gentlemen whose name they bear, and now set forth and published by his lamented friend and. former companion, Elijah Jenkins, Esq." The work was "most humbly inscribed" to "those choice spirits of the age, Captain Bodens, Mr. Alexander Pope, Mr. Professor Lacy, Mr. Orator Henley, and Job Baker, the Kettle-Drummer." This dedication is, no doubt, to be viewed as a contribution to the drollery of the book.

      At Drury Lane, in November, 1709, the character of Teague, in Sir Robert Howard's comedy of "The Committee," was personated, as the playbills stated, "by one who never appeared on the stage before;" and this anonymous player is supposed to have been Josias or Joseph Miller, the popular Joe of later years. In the same season Miller is credited with a performance of the servant Jeremy, in Congreve's comedy of "Love for Love." There is no further trace of the actor for some four years. In 1714, however, the name of Miller reappears in the playbills, and he is found representing Kate Matchlock, in Steele's comedy of "The Funeral;" the character had been originally assumed by Bullock, and usually, it seems, Kate Matchlock was personated by a male performer. Miller was also allotted the character of Sneak, in Charles Johnson's "Country Lasses, or the Custom of the Manor;" Sir Roger, in Gay's tragi-comi-pastoral farce of "What d'ye Call It?" Clincher, Junior, in "The Constant Couple;" Old Wilful, in "The Double Gallant;" Tallboy, in "The Jovial Crew;" Cokes, in "Bartholomew Fair;" and Sir Thomas Reveller, in "Greenwich Park." Miller continued a member of the Drury Lane company for many years, his popularity increasing more and more. The majority of the plays in which he appeared, however, can scarcely be known, even by name, to the public of to-day. In the season of 1715-16, Miller was to be seen as Sir Jolly Jumble, in "The Soldier's Fortune;" as Sir Amorous La Foole, in "The Silent Woman;" as the Coachman, in Addison's comedy of "The Drummer;" as Trico, in "Ignoramus, or the English Lawyer;" as Sir Mannerly Shallow, in "Country Wit;" and as the Mad Englishman, in "The Pilgrim." The works of the Elizabethan dramatists were still frequently presented upon the stage in turn with more recent productions. Miller undertook the character of Lance, in Fletcher's "Wit without Money," as it was "altered by several persons of quality;" he appeared too as Clodpole, in "The Amorous Widow," Betterton's adaptation of Molière's "George Dandin" as Sir Harry Gubbin, in Steele's "Tender Husband;" as Sir Martin Marrall, in the comedy so called; as Don Lewis, in "Love Makes a Man;" and as Sir Joseph Wittol, in "The Old Bachelor." His success in this part was so great, that he presented the comedy upon the occasion of his benefit, when Hogarth came to his assistance, and designed the ticket of admission, which exhibited the scene in the third act, where Sir Joseph's companion and bully Noll is severely kicked by Sharper. The engraving from Hogarth's design is now a very scarce print.

      It is evidence of the popularity of Joe Miller that in 1721 he became a manager of a theatre in Bartholomew Fair, Smithfield, his fellow-managers being the favourite comedians, Pinkethman and the diminutive Henry Norris, generally known as "Jubilee Dickey," from his successful performance of Dickey, in Farquhar's "Constant Couple." The London Daily Post for August, 1721, announced that at the Hartshorn Inn, Smithfield, near Pie Corner, during the time of Bartholomew Fair, there would be acted "a celebrated droll," called "The Injured General, or the Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green," and "The Woman Never Vexed." It was stated that all the parts would be performed by the comedians from Drury Lane; "the part of Scarecrowe, the foolish country squire, by Mr. Miller; Gudgeon, his domestic servant, Mr. Norris, alias Jubilee Dickey; the Undertaker, Mr. Pinkethman," &c. &c.; and the public was further informed that the boxes had been enlarged and made more commodious for the quality." In the following year Miller appears to have dissolved partnership with Pinkethman and Norris. The newspapers advertised the important fact: "Miller is not with Pinkethman but by himself, at the Angel Tavern, next door to the King's Bench, and acts in a new droll, called 'The Faithful Couple, or the Royal Shepherdess,' with a very pleasant entertainment between old Hob and his Wife, and the comical humour of Mopsey and Collin, with a variety of singing and dancing." In conclusion, Miller indulged in verse, and proclaimed himself

"The only comedian now that dare  Vie with the world, and challenge the Fair."

The droll of "The Faithful Couple, or the Royal Shepherdess," has the air of being an adaptation of "A Winter's Tale," just as another droll, produced by Mr. Miller a few years later, and entitled "The Tempest, or the Distressed Lovers; with the Comical Humours of the Enchanted Scotchman or Jockey, and the three Witches," seems to have been a compound burlesque of two other of Shakspeare's plays.

      Miller, it may be noted, represented Aspin, a comic servant, in the comedy of "Love in a Veil," by Richard Savage, on its production in 1717; he was also the original representative of the Miller in Dodsley's farce, "The King and the Miller of Mansfield;" of John Moody, in "The Provoked Husband;" of Brush, in "The Village Opera;" and Cimon in Cibber's "Love in a Riddle." In Shakespeare Miller seems often to have appeared with credit. He undertook from time to time the characters of Osric, Silence, Roderigo, the Host of the Garter, Lord Sands, one of the Carriers in "Henry the Fourth," one of the Citizens in "Julius Cæsar," the First Witch, the First Gravedigger, and the Clown in "Measure for Measure." He also represented Trincalo in Dryden and Davenant's perversion of Shakespeare's "Tempest." From 1714 to 1729 Miller was continuously engaged at Drury Lane; then for a season or two his services appear to have been dispensed with. In his "Dramatic Miscellanies," Davies explains that it was owing to the "mean economy" of the managers that Miller was driven from Drury Lane to the Goodman's Fields' Theatre. "A lively comic actor, and a favourite of the town," he had often appeared successfully as the sailor Ben in "Love for Love," having first played the part in 1720; but by "a piece of manager's craft," as Davies describes it, the part was taken from him and handed over to Cibber, who was now more than sixty years old, and who was not suited either in voice or aspect to "the rough animation of a sailor." Cibber, however, had studied Dogget, the original personator of Ben, and was able to imitate his method of representing the character. At the Goodman's Fields' Theatre, which had been "newly fitted up and made more commodious and warm," Miller seems to have repeated certain of his more admired impersonations, such as Teague and Ben, John Moody, Sir Joseph Wittol, and the Mad Englishman. He appeared also as Clincher, Senior, as Marplot in "The Busy Body," as Jobson in "The Devil to Pay," Foigard in "The Beaux's Stratagem," and Cacafogo in "Rule a Wife and Have a Wife." In the following season, as Davies relates, the Drury Lane managers were obliged to recall Miller to his old station. They imagined that the public would be interested in Miller's resumption of the part of Ben, and that curiosity to compare his performance with Cibber's would result in several full houses. Miller was heartily welcomed back to Drury Lane, but the managers were, nevertheless, Davies informs us, disappointed in their expectations; for Cibber, though he acted Ben but two or three times, "took off the edge of appetite to see Miller." At the close of the season Miller was to be found again at Bartholomew and Southwark, his partners now being his fellow-players, Mills and Bates. Among other entertainments was presented the tragedy of "Jane Shore," with "The Comical Humours of Sir Anthony Noodle and his Man Weazle." Miller's salary at Drury Lane seems never to have been higher than five pounds per week; but this was deemed a considerable salary in those times.

      In 1733 Miller was one of the actors who seceded from Drury Lane, then under the management of Mr. Highmore, a gentleman of fashion and an amateur performer, and formed a sort of commonwealth company at the little theatre in the Haymarket, calling themselves the comedians of His Majesty's Revels. The experiment was not, perhaps, very successful; for, early in 1734, the seceders returned to their duties at Drury Lane, Mr. Highmore having retired from his position as manager in favour of Mr. Fleetwood. Miller reappeared in several of his best characters, the comedy of the "Provoked Husband" being reproduced for the benefit. It had become usual, apparently, to present the play in an abbreviated form; the bills of the night announced that "the original scenes of John Moody will be restored, the part to be performed by Miller." The popular comedian remained a member of the Drury Lane company until the close of the season in 1738. In the London Daily Post and General Advertiser of the 17th August, 1738, there appeared the announcement: "Yesterday morning, died of pleurisy, Mr. Joseph Miller, a celebrated comedian, belonging to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, much admired for his performance in general, but particularly in the character of Teague in 'The Committee, or the Faithful Irishman.'" Teague had been the first, and it was almost the last, part in which he appeared. Miller's "Irishman" delighted his English patrons, but it seems that the "gentlemen of Ireland" would not admit that the comedian possessed "the brogue." However, as Victor states, in his "History of the Theatres," Miller "substituted something in the room of it which made his Teague very diverting to an English audience," and perhaps more so than if played by an Irishman, for, Victor adds, "I have seen that character so extremely well. acted in Dublin that I did not understand one word the actor said." On the same authority, we learn that the favourite actor boasted little education of any kind, and had not even learnt to read. He was a married man, but it was said of him that his principal object in marrying was to have a wife who was able to read his parts to him.

      Joe Miller was buried in the churchyard, in Portugal Street, of St. Clement Danes: Stephen Duck, the Wiltshire peasant-poet, writing his epitaph, which recorded that he was a "tender husband, a sincere friend, a facetious companion, and an excellent comedian." Peter Cunningham describes the headstone, in 1850, as "half concealed in summer by a clump of sunflowers;" but the churchyard has in later years become the site of King's College Hospital. Close at hand, in Portsmouth Street, stood the "Black Jack Tavern," the favourite "house of call" of Joe Miller and other of the players. The "Black Jack," we are told, was long distinguished as "The Jump," that agile criminal, Jack Sheppard, having upon a particular occasion jumped from one of the first-floor windows to escape the emissaries of Jonathan Wild.

      "Joe Miller's Jest Book" has passed through innumerable editions, and has even been reprinted of recent years. The third edition, published in 1739, was enriched with a portrait of the comedian. He appears as a robust, round-faced, broad-featured open-eyed gentleman, with a curious expression of comical stolidity.