as a poet. Thus compelled to become a candidate for public favour, he once more refumed his courtship of the comic mufe; and having finished his play of the Rivals, he prefented it to the Manager of Covent garden Theatre, and it was accordingly reprefented on the 17th of January, 1775 This comedy was justly confidered, by candid criticifm, as a most promifing effay for an author in bis twenty-fifth year, but the public opinion did not exactly coincide with that of acknowledged judges of dra matic merit; and, in confequence of fome flight difapprobation, it was withdrawn after the first night's performance. The partial failure of the piece has been attributed to the indifferent acting of Mr Lee, in the character of Sir Lucius O'Trigger. For that gentleman, though allowed to poffefs confiderable merit in parts of much more importance, had not fufficiently ftudied the whimfical humour and national manner of Irish characters. Whatever may have been the cause, Mr Sheridan withdrew his play without any compulfion; and, having made fome judicious alterations, both in the progrefs of the plot and in the language, it was shortly after brought forward again, and received in the most favourable manner. The fable of the Rivals poffeffes a fufficient degree of probability to render it interefting; the incidents fucceed each other in natural progref. fion, and the dialogue is witty, humorous, and characteristic, interfperf ed with pathetic appeals to the heart, but without thofe extraordinary effufions of excellence which, from the pen of the fame writer, have fince delighted the fancy and improved the understanding, on the ftage and in the closet. Had Mr Sheridan's powers been evinced but by this comedy only, he would have been placed at no very great diftance beyond the common crowd of play wrights. His next production was the farce of St Patrick's Day, or The Scheming Lieutenant, a piece evidently written more for the purpofe of trying his ability to excite broad laughter and humorous merriment, than with a view of enlarging his reputation. It was prefented by him to Mr Clinch, as a teftimony of his good opinion, for the affittance he had experienced from that gentleman's excellent performance of Sir Lucius O'Trigger, in the Rivals, in which he had fucceeded Mr Lee. The farce of St Patrick's Day was actually written in eight and forty hours, and was performed, for the benefit of Mr Clinch, on the 2d of May, in the fame year. At the commencement of the enfuing feafon, he brought out his comic opera of the Duenna, a compofition in every refpect fuperior to the general clafs of English operas then in fashion. The plot of this pleasing piece, which defervedly retains its popularity on the ftage, is fimple, and incapable of producing much intereft; but the elegance of the dic tion, the fweetuels of the poetry, and the appropriate fpirit infused into the characters, place it beyond all competition with the fing-fong trifles which were then in high repute. The Duenna furpaffed even the Beggars' Opera in attraction and popularity, and was performed feventy-five nights during the feason, while Gay's fingular production ran only fixty-five. Mr Sheridan's circumstances becoming about this time more independent, and his genius having struck out a line productive of fame and profit, he began to indulge in expenfive entertainments, and he found no difficulty in extending his connections in fashionable life. "The feat of "reafon, and the flow of foul," were feldom abfent from the hofpitalities of his houfe, and they were unquef tionably Mr Garrick having refolved to retire from the management of Drury lane Theatre, a negociation for the purchase of his fhare of the patent was entered into with him by Dr. Ford, Mr Linley, and Mr Sheridan, who, in 1776, paid the sum of 30,000l. for it. It now became his intereft to apply his talents in fupport of the theatre in which he was fo materially concerned, and he immediately brought out the Trip to Scarborough, altered from Vanbrugh's comedy of the Relapfe. It was performed on the 24th of February, 1777; and, though the dialogue was much improved, and the incidents judiciously altered, the audience did not receive it in a very favourable manner on the firft night of reprefentation, on account of the incorrectness of the performers in general. It was afterwards played to crowded houses. His next production was the comedy of the School for Scandal, which has defervedly raised his fame to undifputed pre-eminence over all the contemporary writers, and conferred, in the opinion of the foreign literati, a luftre on the British comedy which it did not previously poffefs. The School for Scandal was performed on the 8th of May, 1777, and attracted from that late period to the conclufion of the feafon, the most fashionable and numerous audiences. A play of fuch fuperior merit, and written by fo young an author, was rewarded with unqualified applaufe. The critics of that time were anxiously engaged in extolling the beauties with which it abounds, and fome of them were not wanting to difcover others, Ed. Mag. Feb. 1800. that either do not exist, or are still unknown to the writer himfelf. The tide of public favour ran with irrefiftible impetuofity, and dramatic excellence, and the name of Sheridan, became fynonimous. But, although it must ever rank as a finished piece in the fimplicity of plot, in the natural progreffion of incident, in the faithful imitation of manners, in the vigorous and exact delineation of living character, and above all, in fertility of wit and felicity of expreffion; it is to be lamented, that the author did not apply himfelf with more care to improve the heart, and ftimulate the public mind to the cultivation of morality. The fashionable tafte for Scandal is indeed expofed; but it is exposed to the laughter, not to the contempt and detektation, of the audience. It produces mirth, but does not excite execration. The hypocrite, who covers his abominable defigns with the mafk of honour and integrity, is indeed punished; but the punishment is not commenfurate to the offence, and our abhorrence is weakened by the unfeafonable playfulness of the poet's fatire. The author is too ftrenuous an advocate for diffipation of manners, and the vices of libertinism are too fuccefsfully defended. Mr Sheridan appears, in a great meafure, to have forgotten the legitimate end of dramatic compofition, and not to have been fufficiently fenfible, that whatever is intended for the amufement of fociety at large, should also be capable of communicating folid inftruction, and producing real amendment. It has been remarked, with fome degree of propriety, that the characters of Jofeph and Charles have been taken from Fielding's Blifil, and Tom Jones; and that the difguife affumed by Sir Oliver Surface has been borrowed from a fimilar incident in Mrs Sheridan's novel. He has never published it, because, as a literary production, R he he fays, he has no confidence in its merit its fuccefs on the ftage he afcribes to the acting of Mifs Farren and Meffrs. King, Palmer, and Smith. Early in the following feafon, he produced the mufical piece of The Camp, a temporary jeu d'efprit, which afforded much entertainment; and his Critic, written upon the model of the Duke of Buckingham's Rehearfal, came out on the 30th of October, 1787. The fuccefs of the Critic was complete and well deferved; and, though the fubject had been very ably handled by his ingenious prede ceffor, he fucceeded in embellifhing it with lo great a variety of ludicrous incidents, and introduced fuch extraordinary novelty of fatire, as to di veft it of the flighteft appearance of imitation. The lamented death of the British Rofcius, in 1779, furnished Mr She ridan with an opportunity of exercifing powers of a very different nature; and he wrote the monody to the memory of Mr Garrick, which was recited at Drury-lane Theatre, by Mrs Yates, in the month of March, of the fame year. The fentiments are, in general, appropriate to the occafion, and the poetry poffeffes ftrength and melody, but the effect was not adequate to the expectations of the author and his friends. but conducted without any kind of regularity. The perfuafions of Mr Fox, whose friendship he had carefully cultivated, operated with a firm conviction of his own abilities, in determining him to procure a feat in the Houfe of Commons. For fome time before he had endeavoured to qualify himself for public fpeaking, by declaining at the private meetings of feveral of his moft intimate acquaintances; and it was customary with him, like the logical difputants of antiquity, to ttart a fubject of difcuffion, and advocate either fide of the queftion, for the purpose of exercifing his ingenuity in argument. Mr Sheridan was, about this time, honoured with the notice of a noble Duke, now high in office, and who then poffeffed great influence in oppofition; and an application was made, through the medium of a common friend, to obtain his Grace's nomination of Mr Sheridan for one of his boroughs. The application, however, proved fruitlefs, as the noble Duke had already completed his lift, or placed little reliance on the parliamentary powers of his dramatic acquaintance. Mr Sheridan was not difcouraged by the difappointment, and a general election taking place, in 1780, he refolved to canvafs for himself, and chofe the town of Stafford for the fcene of his first political operations. In the adoption of that measure, he appears to have been actuated by feveral important confiderations. The borough of Stafford was not devoted to the intereft of any particular patron; it was free from all fufpicion of minifterial influence, and the arts of corruption had ever tried, without effect, to undermine the independence of the electors. At least, no legal proof *Mr Lacy, whofe property, on the death of his father, was estimated at 80,000l. is now, with a large family, in very diftreffed circumftances. The writer of this biographical sketch is in poffeffion of feveral curious particulars with respect to the transfer of Mr Lacy's property in the theatre to Mr Sheridan, which will probably, at no very diftant period, be given to the public. proof has been yet brought forward to establish any inftance of corruption. One of the late members, who again offered himself as a candidate, had not only become unpopular, but odious to several of the leading men of Stafford. All these circumstances, ftrengthened by a preffing invitation, and a promife of the moft zealous fupport from a principal gentleman of the place, induced Mr Sheridan to propofe himself as a candidate to reprefent the borough of Stafford in the next parliament. He accordingly proceeded to the spot, and was perfectly fatisfied with the pleafing profpect of fuccefs that opened to his ambition. But although he experienced uncommon disinterestedness, and great liberality of conduct in the people of Stafford, a certain degree of expence which has, for a long time, blended itfelf with the pureit proceedings of the elective fyftem in this country, was found unavoidable, and our young politician's refources were not in the moft flourishing late. He was foon convinced, that the moderate fum of one thousand pounds was a fine qua non, which alone could bring the ne. gotiation between the new champion of liberty and the independent electors to a fuccefsful conclufion. The money was at length raised, and one of the gentlemen, who contributed to the fupply, has been fince liberally rewarded with an opera fhare. Mr Sheridan was accordingly returned for Stafford, and from the moment of his introduction into the Houfe of Commons, became a firm fupporter of all the meafures of oppofition. Though he contented him felf, in the commencement of the fef fion, with giving a filent vote against the minifter, he was indefatigable without doors in feconding the views of his party, and in exciting the clamour of public indignation againft the measures of government. He conftantly attended popular meetings and political clubs, and his pen was employed with fuccefs in feveral periodical publications. He had a confiderable fhare in the Englishman, which was conducted with great acrimony against the administration of Lord North; and when the Rockingham party came into power in 1782, his exertions were rewarded with the appointment of Under Secretary to Mr Fox, then Secretary of State for the Foreign Department. The death of the Marquis of Rockingham, and the unexpected elevation of the Earl of Shelburne to the important office of First Lord of the Treafury, completely defeated the views of oppofition, and the evermemorable coalition, for which even the ftrong plea of neceffity is but a forry apology, having been formed, Mr Sheridan was once more called upon to carry on literary hoftilities against the new adminiftration. The periodical work of the Jefuit soon appeared, and feveral very diftinguished members of the party are confidently ftated to have contributed to that production. A learned doc. tor, remarkable for his revival of the doctrine of the Greek philosopher, Pyrrho, and more celebrated for his attachment to a great character, whofe name will laft, notwithstanding his inconfiftencies, while a fingle admirer of splendid and original genius fhall remain in the world, than for any intellectual vigour of his own, has been mentioned as one of the authors of a paper in the Jefuit, notorious for its fevere cenfure of an illuftrious perfonage. The paper in queftion attracted the attention of government, and a profecution was ordered to be commenced against Mr Wilkie, the printer. The legal proceedings were, how. ever, carried on but flowly, and the coalition having gained a decifive victory over the new-fangled adminiftration, formed by the Shelburnę party, Mr Sheridan was once more R 2 brought brought into place, and appointed, in April 1788, Secretary of the Trea fury. It was extremely natural to fuppofe, that the Jefuit would not be attacked by thofe, to whose cause it had been devoted; but the spirit of profecution, though allowed to flumber for a fhort interval, broke out with redoubled vigour, when his Grace of Portland was fucceeded, as First Lord of the Treafury, by Mr Pitt, and an entire change took place in men and measures. The Attorney General was obliged, ex officio, to continue the profecution, the ground-work of which ftill exifted, and Mr Wilkie, who had the magnanimity to conceal the names of the gentlemen by whom he had been employed, was fentenced to an imprisonment of twelve months. The fyftem of party politics evinced in this inftance, as it has in almost every other cafe, felfifhnefs and ingratitude. The man who poffeffed the courage to expofe his own perfon to punishment, and his circumftances to ruin, in order to fcreen thofe by whom he had been engaged in his profeffional purfuits, for the purpofe of promoting their favourite end, was treated with neglect, and it will, with difficulty, be credited, that his expences have not been yet paid. It would, no doubt, be unjuft to accufe Mr Sheridan of having had any share in the transaction, as his acknowled ged integrity muft exempt him from all fufpicion. With what effect the talents of Mr Sheridan were exerted in the dif charge of his official duties, while he filled the fituations of Under Secretary of State and Joint Secretary of the Treasury, it is immaterial to enquire. The whole of the time which he paffed in thefe places was not quite a year, and the chief requifites to perform the duties of them are attention, punctuality, and difpatch-qualities in which his moft enthufiaflic admirers will hardly contend for his pre eminence. Until 1783, he appears to have been a figure introduced into the political picture, more for the purpose of completing the group in the back ground, than of standing forward as a principal character. But the irrefiftible impulse of genius gave a fudden expanfion to his powers, extricated him from the inferior eftimation in which he was held, and placed him, if not in an equal rank with Mr Fox and Mr Burke, at least, in the very next to it. His defence of Mr Fox's celebrated Eaft-India Bill was diftinguished for logical precifion; and though he had not, on previous occafions, delivered his fentiments with extraordinary ability, his fpeech on that interefting fubject was fo masterly, as to induce the public opinion tò felect him from the fecond clafs of parliamentary fpeakers. In 1785, his powers began to expand in proportion to the confidence which he acquired in debate, and his obfervations on Mr Pitt's Perfumery Bill were juftly admired for fplendid effufions of wit and great force of argument. But the part he took in the confideration of the Irish Propofitions, which were brought forward during the fame year, was peculiarly ftriking, and raifed his reputation as an orator to a very fuperior degree. In calling the attention of the houfe to the fourth propofition, he difplayed a general knowledge of the interefts of both kingdoms, and a depth of inveftigation which the moft fanguine expectations of his friend could not have anticipated; and, from that moment, he was viewed as a formidable opponent by the prefent minifter, and looked up to with admiration, as a principal leader of the party to which he belonged. Mr Sheridan had many difficulties to encounter in his parliamentary life. His father was an actor, he had himself largely contributed to the entertainment of the public, and was |