"well-informed, animated, and bustling mind "; Dr. Johnson remarked, in his dogmatic way: "There is to be seen in Sheridan something to reprehend, and everything to laugh at; but, sir, he is not a bad man. No, sir; were mankind to be divided into good and bad, he would stand considerably within the ranks of the good." He seems to have been one of those who live by their wits, and to have possessed brilliant parts without the powers of concentration or perseverance. In this, as in other respects, Richard resembled his father.

Education.

There were three children in the family, - two boys and a girl. The early education of the boys was undertaken by their mother. As they grew older, however, she handed them over to a Dublin schoolmaster, with a rather despairing letter" they will teach you patience," she said, "for two such impenetrable dunces I never met with." In 1762 the family went to London, and the boys entered Harrow School.

Liked

At School. The elder brother, Charles, passed his schooldays in the colorless fashion of the model boy; we hear nothing about him, one way or the other. Richard, on the contrary, moved along with a kind of cheerful indolence. even admired - by his mates, he kept on the safe side of punishment and the comfortable side of scholarship. "I do not remember," said one of his masters, one instance in which he distinguished himself in Latin or English composition, either in prose or verse." Yet the genius was there. "All the while," the same master added, we saw in him signs of a superior intellect. His eye, his countenance, his general manner, were striking; his answers to any common question were

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prompt and acute. All boys and all masters were pleased with him." As it stood, the case was a familiar one; it remained to be seen what this brilliant but unscholastic youth, moving lightly and gayly through the school, would do with his talents.

A Picture. To his little sister at this time he appeared as a sort of hero. The family had been in France, where cheaper living expenses made it easier to provide for the boys at Harrow. On their reunion, she wrote:

"He was handsome, not merely in the eyes of a partial sister, but generally allowed to be so. His cheeks had the glow of health, his eyes the finest in the world the brilliancy of genius, and were soft as a tender and affectionate heart could render them. The same playful fancy, the same sterling and innoxious wit that was afterwards shown in his writings, cheered and delighted the family circle. I admired I almost adored him!"

Bath. In 1770 the family moved to Bath. This little. town was then known throughout Europe as a health resort and was a center of the fashionable and artistic life of England. A very interesting society was to be found there. The sick came to drink the waters; the wealthy and aristocratic gathered to amuse themselves in the intervals of the London season; artists, actors, and musicians found plenty to do; and on the outskirts hung a motley crowd of gamblers and fortune-seekers. Into this busy world the Sheridans entered. Charles worked faithfully with his father; Richard seems to have done. little but enjoy the fascinations of Bath society. His experiences were to bear ample fruit. The whole background of The Rivals reflects that youthful environment; Sir Lucius O'Trigger is typical of the unscrupulous ad

venturer; and Captain Jack Absolute is pleasantly reminiscent of the young author himself.

Marriage. The romance of Sheridan's courtship and marriage is as dramatic as any situation in his plays. Although a piece of real life, the whole thing works out like a drama, where the hero vanquishes the villain, wins the heroine, and "lives happily ever after." There was living in Bath at this time a family by the name of Linley. The father was a composer and musician of note, and there were two beautiful daughters whose fame as singers was more than merely local. The elder, in particular, had many admirers. Among these was a certain Captain Matthews the "villain of the piece." His designs which included the desperate plan of carrying off the lady by force were discovered by Sheridan.

With a fine if quixotic chivalry, he offered to take her to France out of all danger, and to place her with the nuns of St. Quentin at Dunkirk, where his sister had been brought up. The scheme was put into effect, the wife of one of the family servants being taken with them as a chaperon, and the youth delivered his charge in safety. It is a pretty and romantic little tale. The young lovers, for lovers of course they were, were married at Calais in order that no scandal should be unearthed against them, and Richard at once returned to Bath to face the worst.

The second act found the youthful hero called upon to guard his own good name against the attacks of the villain. Captain Matthews, furious at the success of his boyish rival, sent a letter to a newspaper in which he referred to Sheridan as "a L- and a treacherous S-," with more to the same effect. On being taxed in London with the

authorship, Matthews denied all knowledge of it and accused Charles Sheridan. Richard hastened to Bath, and there learned the truth. The brothers returned posthaste to London. In strict accordance with the prevailing custom, a duel was fought. Richard triumphed, and made his antagonist apologize. Later, they fought again; this time Sheridan was badly wounded and had to lie by for a time. At last, in 1773, he married the heroine in the light of day.

Early Attempts. Romantic as the situation of the young couple undoubtedly was, they had to have something to live on. Already Sheridan had shown signs of his ruling passion. At school he had begun, with a fellow Harrovian, the composition of a farce called Jupiter, the only merit of which was its forecast of certain qualities in his later play, The Critic. At Bath he had made a few stray notes which afterwards were put to good use in The School for Scandal. But nothing very definite appears until we come upon a reference to a comedy of mine in rehearsal at Covent Garden within a few days."

The Rivals." This comedy was The Rivals, which was produced at Covent Garden on January 17, 1775. The first night was not a success. The play was withdrawn and vigorously revised, however, and then it achieved even more than its author had hoped for. The interest of the setting, the cleverness of the dialogue, the bustling action, constituted elements which were sure to win the applause of any audience.

Characters and Situations. The plot in itself is slight; few plays so full of life have been built upon a simpler foundation. Captain Absolute is his own rival, as well as