retirement at East Burnham, and it was soon generally promulgated that the fair siren had retired from the musical world. The cause was by some said to be her own dislike of appearing before large audiences; by others, the delicacy of feeling on the part of young Sheridan. The reputation which her talents. had acquired, the curiosity which her adventures had excited, led every one to be anxious that Mrs. Sheridan should continue a profession which she had so much ornamented. She was, indeed, under an engagement to sing at the Triennial Festival at Worcester, and the remuneration to which she would have been entitled was one thousand pounds for twelve nights, and this not for one year only, but for several seasons; besides which, it was averaged that a large sum would be produced by a benefit; but notwithstanding the assistance of Lord North, at that time Chancellor of the University of Oxford, who was called into the negotiation, that she might sing at the meeting, the determination was inflexibly adhered to, and Sheridan would not listen to any proposal that would lead to her reappearance. The stern moralist, Dr. Johnson, spoke of this resolution to Boswell with expressions of approbation, when he learnt that a young man without a shilling would not permit his wife to become the public gaze.

From this time forward, it would appear that Sheridan had made up his mind to depend upon his own mental resources for his success in life, and to strain every nerve to acquire wealth, although, alas! for his own peace of mind and happiness, he knew little of the art by which, when once gained, it is to be kept. The first great result of this resolution was the production of one of the best comedies ever penned,

and which, in spite of many deserving claimants to public approbation, has outlived the greater number of its successors.

For

The "Rivals" was first performed at Covent Garden the 17th of January 1775, and on that eventful night was proclaimed a failure. It was scarcely borne with, and all Sheridan's fond anticipations were nearly overthrown. The unfavourable reception was attributed to its being double the length of any acting comedy; to Sir Lucius O'Trigger, as being a national reflection, and likewise to the representative of Sir Lucius O'Trigger, Mr. Lee, for in this he so miserably acted as to call down shouts of disapprobation. tunately, on the following night, Mr. Clinch was his substitute; and so well did he satisfy Sheridan, that he prepared for Mr. Clinch's benefit the humorous farce of "St. Patrick's Day; or, The Scheming Lieutenant," which was brought out successfully in the following May. It, however, wanted any great claim to favour, and must be considered rather as a piece written for a particular occasion than as a dramatic effort. Not so with the "Rivals"; this was a masterpiece of art on which young Sheridan had bestowed time and labour.

The comedy was brought out with all the strength of the company; Shuter was the representative of the impetuous and boisterous Sir Anthony Absolute; Quick was the Acres; Lewis, Falkland; and Mrs. Green, Mrs. Malaprop; a prologue written by Sheridan was spoken by Woodward and Quick, under the characters of a Serjeant-at-Law and an Attorney; Woodward presents himself as counsel for the poet; but notwithstanding he stated that he never faced a milder jury, the storm of disapprobation commenced so early

as to justify the observation afterwards made by Sheridan in his preface, that much of it must have arisen from virulence of malice rather than severity of criticism. On the tenth night Sheridan produced another prologue, which was admirably delivered by Mrs. Bulkley, whose Julia appears to have been a marked favourite with the audience. Both of the prologues are well written, and though they are not peculiarly adapted for the particular play which they ushered in, but might belong to any comedy for which the favour of an audience is to be solicited, they show that Sheridan had capacity which stood in lieu of experience, and that he had the judgment which prevented the natural vanity of a young author from becoming offensive. The epilogue was also spoken by Mrs. Bulkley, and deserves to be preserved as one of those lively and clever specimens of a style in which Sheridan would have excelled had he bestowed some portion of time on its cultivation. It is an epigrammatic, terse, and well-turned compliment to the gentler sex. The moral of his comedy is, that on the world's great stage woman rules :

"One moral's plain, without more fuss,

Man's social happiness all rests on us;

Through all the drama, whether damned or not,
Love gilds the scene, and women guide the plot."

Mrs. Sheridan's family ascribed this epilogue to her, so highly did they estimate her abilities; however, no doubt exists but that Sheridan himself composed it. He had the gratification to find his play gradually grow in public estimation, and it was received in the provinces with great enthusiasm. Of course, in Bath it was speedily produced, and as the theatrical tribunal in that city was looked up to as of the highest order,

its success there gave the greatest satisfaction. Mr. Dimond, afterwards the proprietor of the theatre, produced a great impression; Keaseberry, the Acres, was an admirable comic performer, and, as acting manager, bestowed great pains upon it. At Bristol, Mrs. Canning was much admired in Julia. During the popularity of the "Rivals," Sheridan's father, who had for some years been estranged from Brinsley, and who obstinately refused a reconciliation, went to the theatre, accompanied by his daughters, to judge for himself of its merits. His son placed himself at the side scene opposite his parent, and continued throughout the performance to gaze at him with tenderness and affection. On his return home he was overpowered with emotion, and, in reply to some inquiries from Mrs. Sheridan as to the cause of his apparent agitation, observed that he painfully felt that his father and sisters should sit before him and he be unable to join them.

It would be a task of no small difficulty at this time of day to criticise the "Rivals," to hold up to admiration the scenes which are most deserving praise, or to point out the delicate touches which distinguish each character. We cannot, however, refrain from making an observation in reply to those who have studied the beautiful imaginings of Sheridan, and have found several of those defects, which certainly may exist in the most carefully digested works. They have pointed out that every individual who appears on the scene is a wit of his kind, and that the humblest personage, be he a coachman, a usurer, a valet, or an humble friend, is a humorist in his way, and occasionally much too clever for his situation. To a certain extent this may be correct; but we shall never find a single smart

saying, a jest, or a sneer put into the mouth not adapted for it. Not one single phrase is misplaced; if it came from any one person but the one for whom it was written it would appear like a daub upon a picture. Not one of his personages but is perfectly distinct in his conversation from his neighbour; a clever thing becomes doubly so if appropriate to the situation of him who speaks it, and this is precisely the case with these dramas. Nobody else could utter the things which the Coachman or Fag says in the first scene; neither Acres nor Sir Lucius O'Trigger could be borne with if they had not each their own sly hits and extravagant observations, adapted with admirable judgment to their respective positions, and the characteristics by which they are distinguished. Mrs. Malaprop has been censured by critics as an outrageous caricature; but there are those in Bath to whom it has been handed down that there was an original from whom a tolerably well-drawn portrait was taken, and that a lady who distinguished herself as a minuet dancer was as remarkable for the singular "choice of epitaphs" as the She Dragon whom Sheridan has given to the world. We must confess we find it much more difficult to discover the history of his marriage, and the duel in which he was involved, in the drama. It is true that he has laid the scene in Bath, with which he was familiar, and where such persons as an Irish fortune-hunter, a booby squire, a female matrimonial adventurer with a marriageable niece, an irritable country gentleman, and a love-sick youth were likely to rendezvous; but why on this account it should be found to correspond with his own romantic adventures we cannot imagine. The clever touches at the state of society in that