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dramatic power which he possessed in no small degree has been inherited by his son, William G. Wills (also known as an artist), author of the dramas of Charles I. and Medea, and other works.

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Wingfield, Sir Richard, 1st Viscount Powerscourt, descended from an old Suffolk family, came to Ireland as a military adventurer, in the latter part of the 16th century. He afterwards fought in Flanders, France, and Portugal, and became a lieutenant-colonel. Returning to Ireland, he distinguished himself and was wounded in an expedition against Tyrone, and was knighted in Christ Church Cathedral, 9th November 1595. He served as a colonel in the expedition against Calais, and in 1600 was advanced to the office of Marshal of Ireland, with a retinue of fifty horse and a company of foot. In 1601 he led a force at the reduction of Kinsale, and was one of those who signed the articles of capitulation made between the Lord-Deputy and Don Juan D'Aguila, commander of the Spanish troops made prisoners on that occasion. In May 1608 he marched into Ulster against Sir Cahir O'Doherty, who had burnt Derry, killing him and dispersing his followers. For this success Sir Richard was (29th June 1609) rewarded by a grant of the Powerscourt estate in the County of Wicklow. In 1618 he was created Viscount Powerscourt, and he subsequently enjoyed several important offices under the Crown. Dying without issue, 9th September 1634, the title became extinct, and the estates passed to a cousin. The title was revived in 1665 in the person of Talbot Folliot, who died without issue in 1717; and again in 1743 in the person of Richard Wingfield. The present Viscount is the seventh of this last creation.

This work, for which he received £1,000, was published in 12 parts or 6 volumes, between 1839 and 1845, and went through more than one edition. The 513 lives contained in the book are arranged in chronological order, and embody a History of Ireland in the lives of Irishmen." It is embellished with a series of copperplate portraits. Lord-Chancellor Ball in a review of the work in the University Magazine, says: "It is the first, and such is its excellence that we should not be surprised were it the last, attempt to supply a desideratum in our literature. Commencing from the earliest period (the first life is that of Ollamh Fodla, who is supposed to have lived before the Christian era), it gives, in chronological order, a sketch of the life, the deeds, or the writings of every man deserving biographical notice, who can be considered, either from birth, residence, or any other circumstance, an Irishman. The memoirs are written with great liveliness and spirit, and in every way are marked with the impress of a highly thoughtful and original mind. The biographies are arranged in series, according as the characters are principally remarkable for their political, or ecclesiastical, or literary and scientific career, and these series again are arranged by certain epochs. Prefixed to each epoch is a dissertation on its peculiar aims, tendencies, and general characteristics. Perhaps these dissertations are the most valuable portion of the whole work. Calm judgment, subtle analysis of the motives and the external developments of every age, a philosophical freedom from passion and prejudice, rarely attained and still more rarely combined with a firm adherence to right principles, are especially observable." As a theologian Dr. Wills is best known as the author of The Philosophy of Un- Woffington, Margaret, ("Peg Wofbelief. In 1855 and 1856, as Donnellan fington,") a distinguished actress, was Lecturer to the University of Dublin, he born in Dublin, 18th October 1720. Her delivered a course of lectures on the "An- father is said to have been a bricklayer, tecedent Probabilities of Christianity." and her mother a laundress. Madame As a poet, and one of no mean pretensions, Volante, giving theatrical performances he is best known by The Universe, once in Dublin, was attracted by the great impudently claimed by Dr. Maturin. beauty and grace of the child, and His powers of metaphysical analysis were brought her out in a company of juvenile shown in his papers on the "Spontaneous actors. When between seventeen and Association of Ideas," read before the Royal twenty years of age, she took Dublin by Irish Academy. Dr. Wills died at Atta- storm in the "Beggars' Opera," and nagh, in November 1868, aged 78, and charmed "all eyes and hearts with her was buried in its quiet churchyard. He beauty, grace, and ability in a range of was a man of proud and quick tem- characters from 'Ophelia' to 'Sir Harry per, joined with great gentleness and Wildair.'" In 1740 she went to London warmth of affection. His photograph, and with a lover, who abandoned her, and a memoir from which this notice has after some difficulty she procured an enbeen condensed, will be found in the Uni-gagement from Rich, the theatrical manversity Magazine for October 1875. The ager. Mr. Doran says: "She played night

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pensive cast of face. She wore her hair without powder, and turned back behind her ears, nearly always with a cap carelessly thrown back, or a little flat garden hat, set negligently on. Certainly, a deeply interesting face, but with a little hint of foolishness and air of lightness in all its calm, pale placidity.” 3 116(64) 127 286

after night at Covent Garden, and London | but had an almost demure, placid, and was enraptured with her. Her 'Lothario' was not so successful as her 'Sir Harry'; but her high-born ladies, her women of dash, spirit, and elegance-her homely, humorous females-in all these she triumphed, and triumphed in spite of a voice that was almost unmanageable for its harshness." She is described in her prime as having dark eyes of the greatest brilliancy and lustre; her eyebrows were arched, and endowed with a flexibility which greatly increased the expression of her features: her nose was gently aquiline; and her dark tresses, free from powder, played in luxuriant gracefulness on her neck and shoulders. Her profession was with her a passion. She never sought to set off her great beauty at the expense of her part. She and Garrick were on the most intimate terms. In the summer of 1742 they visited Dublin, and on their return lived openly together. Johnson is said to have occasionally taken tea with them, and even to have cherished for her a Platonic affection. After a career of undiminished popularity in London, she acted from 1751 to 1754 in Dublin, where she became a popular idol, wrote verses to the Lord-Lieutenant, presided at the meetings of the Beefsteak Club, and is said to have ruled "the court, the camp, and the grove." With Sheridan she made an excursion to Quilca, in Cavan, where she formally abjured Catholicism, to preserve an estate of £200 a year, left her by one of her admirers. She returned to Covent Garden in the season of 1754-'5, and thenceforward she resided principally in London. On 3rd May 1757, while acting "Rosalind" in "As You Like It," she was seized with sudden spasms, and staggered off the stage, never to appear on it again. She died at Teddington, near London (where she had resided two years), 28th March 1760, aged 39, and was buried in the parish church there. This beautiful, gifted, yet unhappy woman exercised a remarkable fascination over all with whom she was brought in contact. She was unselfish and kind-hearted; she supported her mother, and educated her sister Mary, who married the second son of the Earl of Cholmondeley, and survived until about the year 1811. She devoted herself to the poor, and regularly visited and knitted stockings for a number of old retainers. She is said to have been much impressed by the preaching of Wesley. Percy FitzGerald says in his Life of Garrick: "From her portraits we can see that this notorious lady was not a bold, rosy-cheeked hoyden, as we might expect,

Wolfe, Arthur, Viscount Kilwarden, son of John Wolfe of Forenaghts, County of Kildare, was born in 1793. He was educated at Trinity College, and soon rose to eminence at the Bar. He was appointed Solicitor-General in 1787; Attorney-General in 1789; and became Chief-Justice of the King's Bench in 1798. For his support of the Union he was raised to the peerage in 1800. He was by no means a great lawyer, but was of a noble and humane disposition. He refused to strain the law against those tried before him for taking part in the Insurrection of 1798, and displayed great spirit on the occasion of Wolfe Tone's trial by court-martial. When Emmet's emeute took place, on the evening of the 23rd July 1803, he was at his country residence, four miles from Dublin. Hurrying to town with his daughter and nephew to attend a privy council at the Castle, his carriage was stopped in Thomas-street by a crowd of insurgents, who demanded his name. He said: "It is I, Kilwarden, Chief-Justice of the King's Bench," whereupon a wretch, whose brother he had sentenced to death some years previously, rushed forward, and plunged his pike into his body, crying, "You are the man I want." Lord Kilwarden's nephew was killed immediately, while his daughter found her way to the Castle and entered the Chief-Secretary's office in a state of distraction. The military at once cleared the street, and the ChiefJustice was found dying on the sidewalk. Wine was brought, but he could not drink it. He was carried to the watchhouse in Vicar-street, where he lingered about an hour. Major Swan and the other officers present swore they would erect a gallows whereon to hang all the prisoners next morning, when Lord Kilwarden feebly asked: "What are you going to do, Swan?"-" Hang these rebels, my Lord." Whereupon the Chief-Justice rejoined: "Murder must be punished; but let no man suffer for my death, but on a fair trial, and by the laws of his country." Barrington speaks of him as a "good-hearted man, and a sound lawyer.

In feeling he

was quick, in apprehension slow. . He had not an error to counterbalance which some merit did not exhibit itself." 22 196 331

WOL

WOO

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Wolfe, David, Rev., was an ecclesiastic, born in Limerick, who, during the early years of Elizabeth's reign, laboured hard to keep together the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. He spent some years in Rome, where he entered the order of St. Ignatius. In August 1560 he was sent by the Pope, with the privileges of an Apostolic Legate, to superintend affairs in Ireland, to see to the establishment of schools and the regulation of public worship, and to keep up communication with the Catholic princes-duties which he endeavoured to perform often at the peril of his own life. About 1566 he was arrested, and endured a rigorous imprisonment in Dublin Castle, the influence of the Nuncio in Madrid being in vain exercised on his behalf. In 1572 he made his escape to Spain, but before long returned to the scene of his when old labours. We are told that the whole country was embroiled in war, he took refuge in the castle of Chunoan, on the borders of Thomond and the County of Galway; and when he heard that its occupants lived by plunder, he scrupled any nourishment from them, and soon after sickened and died." His death is supposed to have taken place about the year 1578.

Wolfe, Charles, Rev., author of "The | of his sitting-room. The mouldy walls of Burial of Sir John Moore," was born in the closet in which he slept were hanging with loose folds of damp paper." He was Dublin, 14th December 1791. He was educated at Winchester, and at the Uni- discovered by his friends in this miserable versity of Dublin, took orders in 1817, lodging, was tenderly cared by his sisters, and, after a few weeks' labour at Ballyclog, visited England and France in the vain County of Tyrone, became curate of the search of health, and died at Cove, now parish of Donaghmore, where he distin- Queenstown, County of Cork, 21st February guished himself by the zealous discharge 1823, aged 31. His Remains, containing of his functions. He was of a singu- a memoir, with some sermons, letters, and larly spiritual and feeling nature, and his poems, were published by a friend in wrote "If I had thought thou couldst 1827. have died," "My own friend, my own friend," and a few more beautiful ballads. Mr. Moir says: "In the lottery of literature, Charles Wolfe has been one of the few who have drawn the prize of probable immortality from a casual gleam of inspiration thrown over a single poem consisting of only a few stanzas. This poem was "The Burial of Sir John Moore," his last piece, penned in 1814 in his twentythird year. His friend the Rev. Samuel O'Sullivan [see page 426] told how one day in college he read to Wolfe a passage from the Edinburgh Annual Register for 1808, which ran as follows: "Sir John Moore had often said that if he was killed in battle, he wished to be buried where he fell. The body was removed at midnight A grave was to the citadel of Corunna. dug for him on the rampart there by a party of the 9th regiment, the aides-decamps attending by turns. No coffin could be procured, and the officers of his staff in a was, wrapped the body, dressed as it military cloak and blankets. The interment was hastened; for about eight in the morning some firing was heard, and the officers feared that if a serious attack were made, they should be ordered away, and not suffered to pay him their last duty." Wolfe was careless of literary fame, and the poem, which by chance appeared in print, was attributed, among others, to Moore, Campbell, Wilson, Byron, and Barry Cornwall, and was claimed by more than one obscure writer. It was only after Wolfe's death that the chance discovery of a letter (now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy), in which the whole is given in his handwriting, put the matter beyond doubt. Unremitting attention to his clerical duties and carelessness of himself hastened a tendency to consumption: "He seldom thought of providing a regular meal... A few straggling rushbottomed chairs, piled up with his books, a small ricketty table before the fire-place, covered with parish memoranda, and two trunks containing all his papers-serving at the same time to cover the broken parts of the floor-constituted all the furniture

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Wood, Robert, known as "Palmyra Wood," a distinguished archæologist, was born at Riverstown, County of Meath, in 1716. Having passed through Oxford, he continued to apply himself with ardour to the study of the classics, and in particular to Greek literature. He visited Italy more than once, in 1742 voyaged in the Greek Archipelago, and in 1750, with his friends Bouverie and Dawkins, undertook an archæological expedition across Asia Minor and Syria, which the Italian architect Borra accompanied as draughtsman. Before reaching Palmyra, Bouverie died of fatigue, but Wood and his two remaining companions continued their researches with success. Shortly after his return he gave to the world the results of his travels, Ruins of Palmyra, illustrated with 57 plates, 1753; and the Ruins of Baalbec, with 46 plates, in 1757; his Ancient and Present

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