position in the world, he was necessarily involved. If genius of the highest order in literature, if the eloquence that enchants, rivets the attention, and likewise touches the human heart, if the mingling in every question that agitates an empire, and produces an influence upon it, if splendid success followed by the sad vicissitudes of Fate are ever objects of our curiosity, they are in no one instance more singularly exemplified than in Sheridan.

He lived in an age of excitement, of which those who are now in the meridian of their days can, from the repose which they have enjoyed, form but a feeble idea, He was one of the most active, the most intelligent, the most fascinating of those who have stamped their names upon that singular page of history. There was no event in which he was not a leader, there was no great question, whether foreign or domestic, that he did not investigate and pronounce an opinion upon, which was listened to with respect and admiration by a large portion of the nation. His voice was the guide of a great and influential party; he was the attached friend of a band of patriots; and through good and evil repute supported, with manly ardour, a cause which did not bring with it the emoluments of the world, nor did he leave the camp when it was unguarded by some, and almost betrayed by others.

Professor Smyth thus speaks of him :-"There were three others that flourished at the same time with him, the great minister and splendid debater, Mr. Pitt, the great philanthro pist and orator, Mr. Fox, the great philosopher and enlight ened statesman, Mr. Burke; but he who to a certain degree might be said to unite the powers of all was Mr. Sheridan. He had not in such high superiority the distinguishing qualities of each he had not the lofty tone and imposing declamation of Pitt-he had not the persuasive vehemence of Fox-he had not the inexhaustible literature and ready philosophy of Burke; but when he spoke on a great occasion, and prepared himself with all the necessary knowledge, nothing appeared wanting to the perfect orator. Grace of manner, charm of voice, fluency of language, and above all a brilliancy of sarcasm, a wit and a humour, and again a felicity of statement that made him the delight of every audience, and that excited the admiration of his opponents themselves."

The eulogium pronounced upon him by Lord Byron is

now somewhat trite, but it is most true: "Whatever Sheridan has done or chosen to do, has been, par excellence, always the best of its kind. He has written the best comedy, 'The School for Scandal;' the best opera, 'The Duenna'-in my mind far before that St. Giles' lampoon, the 'Beggar's Opera;' -the best farce, 'The Critic;' it is only too good for an afterpiece; and the best address, The Monologue on Garrick;' and to crown all, delivered the very best oration, the famous Be gum speech, ever conceived or heard in this country." These, however, are but a portion of the claims which he has to the highest consideration; for scarcely had he attained the foremost rank amongst the comic writers of the age, when he astonished and delighted the statesmen who surrounded him with the clearness of his political views, developed with all the power and splendour of eloquence. His friends had but just marvelled at the dexterity with which he gained an influence over the heir apparent to the throne, and were canvassing the merits of the advice which guided that prince through paths of considerable difficulty, when even his opponents were unanimously praising him in the loudest language for the exhibition of the purest patriotism, and admiring the conduct that he pursued during one of the most perilous moments that ever occurred in the annals of England -the Mutiny at the Nore.

The circumstances that are detailed in the following pages will, we think, plead an apology for many of the errors that have been strongly condemned; it will be found that a large portion of his pecuniary embarrassments did not originally spring from improvidence, but from the peculiar sources of his means, and from the unexpected position in which, at the very outset of his life, he found himself. He was placed, in an unaccountable manner, at the head of a great establishment, which seemed to yield unceasing means of expenditure, from whose treasury he was enabled to draw almost without acknowledgment; it appeared to offer endless wealth-the very purse of the Fortunatus of his childish days was in his hands. It was not only the inexhaustible vein of daily treasure, but it enabled him to multiply his means; to create new shares, to issue debentures, and to follow the thousand devices of the skilful financier was, for a length of time, as easy as to draw a cheque upon his banker. It afforded him a marriage set

tlement, or a new edifice, hence the mind became vitiated, false, and factitious views of property took possession of it; all was however paper money, based upon no solid means, it lured the credulous victim on, until he expected at every step more gold-he found at last that his wealth was visionary, and when compelled to acknowledge the melancholy truth, it was too late to recede. Harassed at every step, he had recourse to deception till it became systematic, he lost his caste in society, he sought relief in dissipation, and when his home was invaded by his angry creditors, he rushed to places where he gradually learnt habits that undermined his constitution and weakened his intellect. If, however, Sheridan was to be blamed, how much more so were his friends! how much more the public! It is a deep reflection upon the morals and upon the character of the country that such a man was allowed to suffer distress and misery; the selfishness of the great, the heartlessness of society, the mammon worship of the many was never more conspicuous than in its treatment of its devoted servant.

In this country virtue and talents may be respected by the few-wealth by all-he who loses the one may in vain possess the other, his welcome in that world which hung upon his shadow is past; the good that he has done is forgotten. Such was the fate of Sheridan; those who had been the warmest admirers of his splendid talents, were at first amused with the narratives of his cleverness in eluding the vigilance of his numerous creditors, but gradually they spoke of his imprudence, and then learnt to treat him with contempt. He had to stoop to the meanest subterfuges to escape from present embarrassment, or to degrade himself by the vilest cunning for a momentary supply of funds. How humiliating to his own mind must have been the comparison of the days when listening senates were hushed when he spoke!-how fearful to him must have been the remembrance of those brilliant hours of his youth, when he was the theme of general obser vation! Consider him, however, in what light we may, still did he maintain some superiority over all those by whom he was surrounded, and in almost every scene of his eventful life he was an actor who obtained and excited the wonder, if not the admiration of his contemporaries.

Even the romantic incidents attending upon his private life

are such only as occur to men unlike the ordinary class of our fellow-beings. The celebrated object of his choice, the clever manner in which he contrived to outwit his rivals in love, becoming not only the theme of conversation in a fashionable watering-place, but of newspaper controversy, drew upon him at an early age the general attention; from that period every circumstance of his life became public property, indeed it was then evident that his lot could not be cast in obscurity, but that he had that within him, which, when duly exercised, would lead to his filling a distinguished position in society. How, too, did the bold daring with which he undertook the management of a great theatrical establishment tell upon the public mind, for all knew that he must be dependent on his own abilities for his financial resources! Surrounded at an early age by men of the highest talent, he was quickly remarked amongst them for the brilliancy of his conversation, his flashes of wit, and the ease and elegance of his manner. These qualifications which made him so delightful in society, are too apt to render their possessor self-indulgent, vain and careless, nor was Sheridan on these points unlike the rest of his fellow-beings, gradually faults began to ripen into vices, the feebleness with which he resisted the first inroads upon his original sense of honour and of virtue, led to a recklessness and sensuality which eventually were remembered, when his brighter qualities were somewhat dimmed. As the generation passed away in which his nobler characteristics had been developed they were almost forgotten, and those who were rising in the world saw only that state which was, in comparison, one of degradation, and hence they estimated. him less than those who had been dazzled by the early lustre of his career.

Valuable, doubtless, would be considered the moral lessons deducible from a scrutiny into his errors and defects; but sufficient for us is it in our sketch to relate the prominent circumstances of his life, to delineate him with that fair and honest colouring which is required for truth, more consonant would it be with our feelings to throw a veil over his follies and inconsistencies rather than to scan them too deeply, the brilliancy of his talents, and the severity of his misfortunes, command for the thoughtlessness of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, oblivion-for his sorrows, respect.

He has found two biographers, both of whom have entered with some degree of warmth into his political career. The first, Dr. Watkins, was a Tory of the old school, the other, a Whig, of equally uncompromising caste. They have seen through glasses which operate on every subject of their exami nation with power of a totally different kind; the same topic is magnified or diminished according to the respective instrument that each holds. Much is to be said in praise of the diligence with which Dr. Watkins has investigated the numer ous great questions which engaged the attention of Sheridan, but his strong bias shines forth on all occasions. He views everything as a good consistent follower of Pitt would naturally do, he thinks only of the heaven-born minister, he insinuates that his opponents were actuated by malevolence, were besotted in ignorance, and were worthy condign punishment. His detestation of the French Revolution was only surpassed by his terror lest parliamentary reform should ever be brought about in England. From so decided a partisan there was little to be expected, and he has throughout evinced too much of the politician, of the humblest grade, to be the judge of one who had any pretension to rank amongst statesmen. Of his private life he has drawn but a feeble sketch, whatever he knew and gave was derived from Mr. Samuel Whyte, who had for a short period been Sheridan's teacher.

Moore's life has greater claims to our consideration; although it has the internal evidence of its being a laboured panegyric upon the great Whig statesman, Fox, it furnishes us with a consistent narrative of the most remarkable events in which Sheridan became a partaker, still they are more or less tinted with the colouring which, as a decided Whig, Moore was likely to make use of. The private life is of a most poetic character. It is the work of a rich fancy, rendering everything it touches more beautiful than nature in her sweet simplicity usually attempts. He sought from the immediate family and friends materials for his publication, and of course received from them only such as were likely to embellish his narrative, and produce the most favourable effect. It is not to be supposed that truth has ever been wantonly sacrificed, but much has been suppressed, and much has been overcharged; so that a picture somewhat gaudy,