who had been given up by his parents as a
born idiot and incapable of any instruction
whatsoever. Miss Fanny, however, volun-impressive that he had ever preached.
teered the task of his tuition. She suc-
ceeded in teaching him to read, and to re-
peat the Creed and the Lord's Prayer; but,
suddenly, in the midst of her exultation
at the "surprising proficiency of her pupil,"
a strange and ludicrous question put by
him, on a mysterious point of religion, shew-||
ed that he was utterly deficient in compre-
hension of what he had thus acquired by
rote, and drew upon his fair instructress
the good-natured raillery of her brothers.
Notwithstanding this, she, by patience and
perseverence, effected much improvement
in the moral state of the unfortunate out-
cast, who was accustomed to take his
place regularly every Sunday at church, in
somewhat of the restored dignity of a
rational being.

personal defect whatsoever; and, alto-
gether, his sermon proved one of the most

The Rev. Walter Chamberlaine, her brother, evidently inherited much of the dry humour of his father. He was also a poet of considerable merit.* "When he was going to perform duty one Sunday at his parish church, some rude boys, struck with something singular and whimsical in his manner and appearance, pursued him with hooting and laughter to the very doors. Walter Chamberlaine marked the offenders; and, being that day to preach as well as to read prayers, he substituted, in the place of the sermon he had previously intended to give, an extempore one, with the following text from the second chapter of the Second Book of Kings, v. 23:- And as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head :'-v. 24, And he turned back and looked on them and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty-and-two children of them.'"-As soon as the preacher had pronounced this terrible text, his eyes sought out the trembling culprits-he began a discourse upon the reverence due to age and to the sacred character-enlarged upon the sin of those who mocked their neighbour for any infirmity, misfortune, or

Vide" The Travellers," a Tale, in Miss Lefanu's Memoirs of Mrs. Sheridan, page 53.

|

Upon another occasion, when about "to preach before a congregation in the country composed of none but the poorest and most illiterate classes, he found that, in a fit of absence of mind (not unusual with him), he had brought, in the place of the discourse he intended to have pronounced, another written for the purpose of being delivered before a genteel audience in Dublin. A pause ensued. What was to be done? Lord bless my soul !' muttered Walter Chamberlaine, I have put the wrong sermon in my pocket!' Then, composing himself to address his hearers with becoming solemnity, I find, my brethren,' he said, 'I have brought with me, by mistake, a sermon utterly above your comprehensions; I, therefore, shall not deliver it; but, though unprepared, shall endeavour, with the blessing of God, to give you something from myself, that may be of benefit to you.' He accordingly chose a text, and pronounced another admirable extempore sermon; as well suited to the wants and capacities of his ignorant hearers, as the written one was ill adapted to them."

Miss Chamberlaine's talent for literary composition was proved at the early age of fifteen. A portion of the coarse ill-coloured paper which her father had given to the housekeeper to keep her accounts, Miss Fanny thought it no robbery to appropriate to the far nobler purpose of writing a romance, in two volumes, entitled "Eugenia and Adelaide." This production, although sanctioned by the favourable opinion of Richardson, the novelist, and which displays unquestionable proofs of a fertile imagination and inventive skill, was not published until after the author's death. The next efforts of Miss Chamberlaine's pen appeared in two sermons.*

About the time when she was one-andtwenty, Miss Chamberlaine, warmly sensible to the impression of scenic representation, had seen and admired Mr. Sheridan, who, at that time, though a very young man, had undertaken the management of the Dublin Theatre. In consequence of

* Vide Memoirs, page 93.

Amongst an extended circle of friends, it
was her happiness to enumerate Dr. Young,
Dr. Johnson, Dr. Parr, Mr. Wedderburne
(afterwards LordLoughborough), LordShel-
burne, Richardson the novelist, Mrs. Peck-
hard, the Hon. Mrs. Cholmondeley, &c.
The merits of her excellent novel,
"Me-

his spirited resistance to an attempt made by a young gentleman to force his way behind the scenes, whither he had pursued one of the actresses (the celebrated George Anne Bellamy) an alarming and dangerous riot occurred, in which Mr. Sheridan's life and property were equally threatened. A paper war ensued: Miss Chamberlaine pub-moirs of Miss Sidney Biddulph," which, lished first," The Owls, a Fable," and on its publication, became an immediate afterwards a prose pamphlet in vindication and permanent favourite, are too well of Mr. Sheridan's conduct. After the affair known to require illustration here. had blown over, Mr. Sheridan sought and copious analysis of the work will be found discovered his anonymous champion-he in Miss Lefanu's volume. obtained an introduction to her at the house of her sister—a lively and reciprocal attachment was the result of their meeting -and, in a short time (1747) the drama was wound up with a romantic and happy marriage.

A

The success of her first comedy, "The Discovery," in which Garrick played a principal and favourite part, was not less striking. She passed the evening of its first representation at home, tremblingly anticipating the final decision of the public. A joyous party from the theatre, headed by the Hon. Mrs. Cholmondeley, at length burst into the drawing-room, and warmly congratulated her on the complete success

days, wore a chip hat, and linen gown, as a suitable costume for the first gallery, in which she had been seated; her beautiful white hands were sore with applauding. The strong characters of Lord Medway and Mrs. Knightly, and the humorous ones of Sir Anthony Branville (Garrick's) Sir Harry and Lady Flutter, she felt as

It is a maxim which never fails, that a good daughter will make a good wife, a good mother, and a good friend. Of this truth Mrs. Sheridan was an admirable exemplar. In the education of her daugh- || of her play. Mrs. C., in the fashion of those ters she displayed the finest judgment.|| When Mr. Sheridan's family had removed to London, Dr. Johnson was one of their frequent visitors. Observing that their eldest daughter (afterwards married to Joseph Lefanu, Esq., of Dublin) began to give signs of that love of literature for which she was afterwards distinguished, and that she was very attentively employ-sured would be justly appreciated by the ed in reading his "Ramblers," her mother pit and boxes; but, as the general comhastened to assure Dr. Johnson it was only plexion of the piece was that of high and works of that unexceptionable description genteel comedy, rather than of broad and which she suffered to meet the eyes of her farcical humour, she thought the respectalittle girl. "In general,” added Mrs. Sheri- ble supporters of the first gallery might dan," I am very careful to keep her from require a little leading; and there she acall such books as are not calculated, by cordingly placed herself with a considerable their moral tendency, expressly for the body of friends, to point out to them perusal of youth."-" Then you are a fool, when they should admire, and contribute madam!" vociferated the Doctor. Turn their share to the success of the play, by your daughter loose into your library; if obstreperous thunders of applause. This she is well inclined, she will choose only manœuvre, which produced the anticipated nutritious food; if otherwise, all your pre- || result, has been since very often practised. cautions will avail nothing to prevent her following the natural bent of her inclinations." The politeness and the good taste of this reply are equally obvious.

Moore has mentioned, from Miss Lefanu's work, that, during the run of " The Duenna," at Covent Garden Theatre, in the season of 1775-6, Garrick, to counMrs. Sheridan's colloquial powers were teract the great success of his rival, found of a high order; and it was a remark of Dr. it necessary to bring forward all the weight Sumner's that, in clearness of intellect, de- of his own best characters; and, that he licacy of taste, and purity of heart, she was even had recourse to the expedient of playone of the first women he ever knew.ing off the mother against the son, by re

viving Mrs. Sheridan's comedy of "The Sheridan's character, we rather wonder Discovery," and acting the principal part|| Mr. Moore should not have noticed. It in it himself. He should have added, from displays his love of frolic, and his tendency the same source, that this setting up of the to extravagance, in opposition to his unele mother against the son appeared, to old Chamberlaine's prudent economy, in a luMr. Sheridan, something so strange and dicrous point of view. At school, on the unnatural, that he would not allow his grand annual contest for the silver arrow, daughters, though in London, to visit the Richard was not a competitor for the theatre; a restraint by which they were prize of archery, but he distinguished himdeprived of the double and exquisite treat self by the delivery of a Greek oration. of witnessing the inimitable performance of This, as he was intended for one of the Garrick, in a comedy of their mother's learned professions, was a judicious arwriting. rangement, as it exhibited his proficiency The origin or first conception of Mrs. in scholarship; and, in the embarrassed Sheridan's latest work, the oriental tale of state of his father's circumstances, it was "Nourjahad," was remarkable. One sleep-|| far preferable to a frivolous competition, less night, when, from reflecting upon the which involved a considerable degree of inequality in the conditions of men, she expense. The oration was to be delivered was led to consider that it is in the due in the character of a military commander; regulation of the passions, rather than on and our hero, not then very strict in his the outward dispensations of Providence,|| notions of costume, ordered the uniform of that true happiness or misery depends, she an English general officer to be made up conceived the idea of the probable con- for the occasion. "Accordingly, on the dition of a human being, of a violent and important day he appeared, not, indeed, perverse disposition, supposing his wealth in the elegant dress of an archer of Harto be inexhaustible, and his days extended row, but in the equally expensive one of to infinity. She imagined this being pos- a military chief. Mr. Chamberlaine, to sessed of the two greatest apparent goods, whom, of course, his tailor's bill was deriches and immortality, yet devoid of any livered, severely remonstrated with him on inward principle to restrain the unbounded this unexpected piece of extravagance. indulgence of his passions. Those grati- Sheridan respectfully replied, that, as the fied, yet still unfortunate passions, became speech was to be delivered in a martial his tormentors; and the two blessings he character, he did not think the effect would had impatiently coveted were transformed have been complete without an appropriate into insupportable evils. "When, after dress, and that indeed so deeply was he the death of the author, the romantic east- || himself impressed with that feeling, that he ern tale of " Nourjahad" appeared in print, was sure, if he had not been properly habiMiss Alicia Sheridan perfectly recollected ted, he could not have delivered a word of this circumstance of her mother's having the oration." Mr. Chamberlaine had a related to her the outline of the tale before shrewd suspicion, we know not how justly, it was thrown upon paper, as complete as that the pleasure of hoaxing him had a when it received its rich and interesting || share in Brinsley's suddenly declared marcolouring." tial taste.

Mrs. Sheridan died at Blois,. in France, As we commenced with a remark upon at the early age of 42. The scene of her the hereditary genius of the Sheridan fadeath, as described by Miss Lefanu, is ex-mily, let us close with another. Having ceedingly affecting; but we have already transgressed our limits too far to give it insertion here. "To her husband her loss was," to use his own eloquent expression, "the most fatal event that could befal him in this life; what the world could not repair-a bosom friend, another self."

We shall relate only one other anecdote,|| which, as illustrative of Richard Brinsley

mentioned Miss Lefanu, and “her interesting memoirs of her grandmother," Moore thus expresses himself in a note:-" The talents of this young lady are another proof of the sort of gavel-kind of genius allotted to the whole race of Sheridan. I find her very earliest poetical work, The Sylphid Queen,' thus spoken of in a letter from the second Mrs. Sheridan to her

mother, Mrs. Lefanu:-'I should have acknowledged your very welcome present immediately, had not Mr. Sheridan, on my telling him what it was, run off with it, and I have been in vain endeavouring to get it from him ever since. What little I did read of it, I admired particularly; but it will be much more gratifying to you and your daughter to hear that he read it with the greatest attention, and thought it showed a great deal of imagination.''

We wish to add our humble tribute of applause to Miss Lefanu, by the simple statement, that we consider her book to be written with delicacy, taste, and judgment. It abounds with interesting anecdotes of a literary, dramatic, and theatrical cast; and, as a noble memorial of the genius and talent of the family of Sheridan, it ought to be associated, in every library, with the volumes of Moore.

ON THE WORD "OLD."

THERE is scarcely any term in the Eng- || compared by Shakspeare to that of wearing lish language, which does not imply actual new clothes; but old clothes are quietly wickedness or malignity, of such general || consigned to the bag of the Israelite, or to degradation as the word Old. A young the rag-shop. Houses, carriages, furniture, man, how pleasing! an old man, how suffer the like disgrace; or, if they are reworthless! A young woman, how charm- || tained, they fix the stigma of poverty or ing, and how courted! an old woman, how parsimony on their occupier or owner. contemptible and neglected! A young fool may become a wise man; but of an old fool there are no hopes. A young rogue is a sprightly fellow, who may become a man of spirit; an old rogue is the outcast of the creation. A young thief may be pardoned, while an old one is doomed to the gallows.

With respect to external appearance, it was well said, by Philip Thicknesse, that "youth is beauty; nothing can be completely ugly that is not old."

tail

What deformity does the word Old enupon fashion! How has it transformed magnificent hoops, pompous bustles, and stupendous head-dresses, into objects which would be hooted at, if they made their appearance; and now that the exuberance has descended to the bottom of the skirt, the effect will be the same when the skirt is touched by the magic wand of this powerful agent. Such is its dominion over fashion, that it makes long waists and short waists, wide sleeves and narrow sleeves, few petticoats and many petticoats, frightful in their turn. Let the padded cravats and starched collars of the men tremble; for their beauty will have vanished when they are grown old.

Clothes, themselves, of every description, sink under the influence of the word Old. The impatience of love has been

But, as I am not, myself, the enemy of any creature or thing, merely because it is old, I have great pleasure in adding, from indisputable authority, that friends and wine are not included in the general odium of being deteriorated by age; on the contrary, they are said to be improved by time. Old books might form another exception, if the price given for them were the criterion of their value; but I rather suspect that their scarcity, not their merit, is the occasion of it; and I incline to the opinion that, for reading, which may have been originally the purpose for which books were intended, the old are not preferable to the new. Impartiality requires me to mention old shoes; as their claim to superiority is asserted by the well-known adage, as easy as an old shoe: but this appears to me a doubtful case; for, if old and new shoes were placed before a number of persons, for them to take their choice, I believe, however the shoe might pinch, few would take the old.

As no living creature can escape the hateful appellation of Old, if not cut off prematurely by accident or disease, it might mitigate the penalties imposed upon age, if old men were respected, old women tolerated, and old horses and asses treated with humanity.

AN OLD WOMAN.

Original Poetry.