fear of the frost: aud, upon the said person's refusing to go in the chaise alone, or to trust to Solomon's appointment, and being in ill health, Solomon fell into a formal quarrel with that person, and foully misrepresented the whole affair, to justify himself. Solomon had published a humorous ballad, called "Ballyspellin,"* whither he had gone to drink the waters, with a new favourite lady. The ballad was in the manner of Mr. Gay's on Molly Mogg, pretending to contain all the rhymes of Ballyspellin. His friend, the person so often mentioned, being at a gentleman's house in the neighbourhood, and merry over Solomon's ballad, they agreed to make another, in dispraise of Ballyspellinwells, which Solomon had celebrated, and with all new rhymes not made use of in Solomon's. The thing was done, and all in a mere jest and innocent merriment. Yet Solomon was prevailed upon, by the lady he went with, to resent this as an affront on her and himself; which he did accordingly, against all the rules of rea son, taste, good-nature, judgment, gratitude, or common manners. He will invite six or more people of condition to dine with him on a certain day, some of them living five or six miles from town. On the day appointed, he will be absent, and know nothing of the matter, and they all go back disappointed: when he is told of this, he is pleased, because it shews him to be a genius and a man of learning. Having lain many years under the obloquy of a high tory and jacobite, upon the present queen's birth-day he writ a song, to be performed before the government and those who attended them, in praise of the queen and * Printed in the eleventh volume. N. king, on the common topics of her beauty, wit, family, love of England, and all other virtues, wherein the king and the royal children were sharers. It was very hard to avoid the common topics. A young collegian, who had done the same job the year before, got some reputation on account of his wit. Solomon would needs vie with him, by which he lost all the esteem of his old friends the tories, and got not the least interest with the whigs; for they are now too strong to want advocates of that kind; and therefore one of the lords justices, reading the verses in some company, said, "Ah! Doctor, this shall not do." His name was at length in the titlepage; and he did this without the knowledge or advice of one living soul, as he himself confesseth. His full conviction of having acted wrong in an hundred instances, leaves him as positive in the next instance as if he had never been mistaken in bis life: and if you go to him the next day, and find him convinced in the last, he hath another instance ready, wherein he is as positive as he was the day before. ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE HONOUR OF THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND. 1738. THIS is to inform the public, that a gentleman of long study, observation, and experience, hath employed himself for several years in making collections of facts, relating to the conduct of divines, physicians, lawyers, soldiers, merchants, traders, and squires, containing an historical account of the most remarkable corruptions, frauds, oppressions, knaveries, and perjuries: wherein the names of the persons concerned shall be inserted at full length, with some account of their families and stations. But whereas the said gentleman cannot complete his history without some assistance from the public, he humbly desires, that all persons, who have any memoirs, or accounts, relating to themselves, their families, their friends, or acquaintance, which are well attested, and fit to enrich the work, will please to send them to the printer of this advertisement: and if any of the said persons, who are disposed to send materials, happen to live in the country, it is desired their letters may be either franked, or the post paid. This collection is to commence with the year 1700, and be continued to the present year, 1738. The work is to be entitled, "The Author's Critical History of his own Times." CHARACTER OF DR. SHERIDAN. WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1738. DOCTOR Thomas Sheridan died at Rathfarnam the 10th of October, 1738, at three of the clock in the afternoon his diseases were a dropsy and asthma. He was doubtless the best instructor of youth in these kingdoms, or perhaps in Europe; and as great a master of the Greek and Roman languages. He had a very fruitful invention, and a talent for poetry. His English verses were full of wit and humour, but neither his prose nor verse sufficiently correct: however, he would readily submit to any friend who had a true taste in prose or verse. He has left behind him a very great collection, in several volumes, of stories, humorous, witty, wise, or some way useful, gathered from a vast number of Greek, Roman, Italian, Spanish, French, and English writers. I believe I may have seen about thirty, large enough to make as many moderate books in octavo. But among these extracts, there were many not worth regard; for five or six, at least, were of little use or entertainment. He was (as it is frequently the case in men of wit and learning) what the French call a dupe, and in a very high degree. The greatest dunce of a tradesman could impose upon him, for he was altogether ignorant in worldly management. His chief shining quality was that of a schoolmaster; here he shone in his proper element. He had so much skill and practice in the physiognomy of boys, that he rarely mistook at the first view. His scholars loved and feared him. He often rather chose to shame the stupid, but punish the idle, and expose them to all the lads, which was more severe than lashing. Among the gentlemen in this kingdom who have any share of education, the scholars of Dr. Sheridan infinitely excel, in number and knowledge, all their brethren sent from other schools. To look on the Doctor in some other lights, he was in many things very indiscreet, to say no worse. He acted like too many clergy men, who are in haste to be married when very young; and from hence proceeded all the mniseries of his life. The portion he got proved to be just the reverse of 5001. for he was poorer by a thousand : and poor relaso many incumbrances of a mother-in law, tions, whom he was forced to support for many years. Instead of breeding up his daughters to housewifery and plain clothes, he got them, at a great expense, to be clad like ladies who had plentiful fortunes; made them only learn to sing and dance, to draw and design, to give them rich silks, and other fopperies; and his two eldest were married, without his consent, to young lads who had nothing to settle on them. However, he had one son, whom the Doctor sent to Westminster school, adthough he could ill afford it. The boy was there immediately taken notice of, upon examination; although a mere stranger, he was by pure merit elected a king's scholar. It is true their maintenance falls something short the Doctor was then so poor, that he could not add fourteen pounds, to enable the boy to finish the year; which, if he had done, he would have been removed to a higher class, and, in another year, would have been sped off (that is the phrase) to a fellowship in Oxford or Cambridge but the Doctor was forced to recall him to Dublin, and had friends in our university to send him there, where he has been chosen of the foundation; and, |