he believed, that ever folicited the attention of Parliament. Among other encomiums, of which he was by no means fparing, he faid, it was a fpirited and laudable exertion of friendship, evidently proceeding from a difinterested principle, and in his opinion merited particular confideration and refpect; adding, "I therefore move you, that Petitioner shall not be put to his OATH; but the Facts fet forth in his Petition be admitted fimply on his WORD." His motion was feconded by an instantaneous, Ay! Ay! without a diffenting voice. A few queftions were then put, purely as it were for form's fake, and Petitioner was dismissed with repeated testimonies of applaufe and congratulations of fuccefs.

The Creditors, most likely, either did not wifh or imagine he would carry his point; for when they found the business effected, they appeared in a combination to abuse him; and not only reproached him for meddling, as they called it, but affected to look upon him as responsible to them for the whole of their refpective demands; because, as they alledged, he had without their concurrence had recourse to Parliament to their prejudice, and deprived them of the means of profecuting their just claims. Some of them actually confulted counsel, and took steps for the purpose of compelling him to pay them out of his own pocket. The idea may be now laughed at; but the thing was very feriously menaced: and in his fituation, unhackneyed as he was in the ways of men;* of a profeffion too of all others the most exposed to anxiety and trouble, with at beft very inadequate compensation, it must have been an accumulated grievance, and their vindictive malice not a little alarming.

Mr. Sheridan's fubfequent letters on the subject, now in the Editor's hands, at the same time that they more clearly explain

* He was of a retired habit; just turned of thirty, and scarcely eight years converfant in business.

explain and corroborate the facts, remain a decisive teftimony of his principles, and reflect a genuine lustre on his character as a Husband, a Father, a moral Man, and a Christian.

To Mr. Samuel Whyte, Mafler of the English Grammar-School, in Grafton-freet, Dublin. Via Londres, Angleterre.

DEAR SAM!

YOUR long-expected letter has at length arrived without date. You mention in it that it was writ the poft after Mr. Sheen's, but by some strange fatality it has been fix weeks longer in its paffage. I own your long filence aftonished me, and raised in me many mortifying reflections. The general neglect which I experienced from all quarters in my distrest situation, created in me such an apathy for all the affairs of this life, that I was almost brought to wish to pass the rest of my days

Oblitufque meorum oblivifcendus et illis.

But your laft has fhewn me that friendship is not wholly banished from the earth. I find that it is to your care folely I am indebted for the turn my affairs have taken, and it pleafed me the more, as you are the only perfon living to whom I would wish to owe fuch an obligation. Your filence during the tranfaction carries its excufe with it. It was better on every account that the attempt fhould be made without my privity. And to deal ingenuoufly with you, had you confulted me, I fhould never have confènted to it. But as the thing has paffed with fo much credit to me, the whole honour and merit of it is yours. What I mentioned in a former, relative to an act of Parliament, had no reference to any fuch act to be made in Ireland, of which I had not the least idea; but to an English act paffed the seffions before for the relief of infolvent debtors, with the nature

of

of which I defired to be made acquainted. . . . . You have not made me acquainted with the circumstances of the act, in which, through your friendly and difinterested exertions, I am concerned; nor mentioned the time that it will be proper for me to go to Ireland. I fhould be glad you would take the first opportunity of conveying a copy of the act to Mr. Chamberlaine, because there are fome points on which I would take advice in London, before my setting out for Dublin. And now, my dear SAM! I must tell you, that without your farther affistance it will be impoffible for me to reap the benefit of what you have done for me. From the perpetual fluctuation in the ministry, the payments are no longer punctual at the Treasury. There is now due to me a year of my penfion; and at the moment I am writing to you I am reduced to my last Louis. I had relied upon receiving about fifty pound from Sheen, for the books and a year's rent of a certain farm at Quilca. But this I find, without any notice given me, has been foreftalled, and Sheen writes me word that he has not a fhilling to fpare. I had before applied to fome friends in England, who had made large profeffions to me; but I find, by an obflinate filence on their part, that nothing is to be expected from them. My fole reliance at prefent is upon you; nor should I have the least doubt on me, if your abilities were equal to your good will. But I must conjure you by all that is facred in friendship to raise a hundred pounds for me, as speedily as you can, and convey it to William Whately, Efq; Banker in London, for my ufe; on the receipt of which I will immediately fęt out for England in my way to Dublin. Mrs. Sheridan and the Children will continue in France, 'till my affairs are fettled; and after that you may rely upon it that this is the first debt I fhall think myself bound to discharge. I need not fay

F

fay more upon this head; I am fure your utmost endeavours will not be wanting to ferve me in this exigence, and to complete what you have so well begun.

And now I must give you fome account of what we have been doing fince our arrival at Blois. I have long fince finished the Dictionary, and have got together the greatest part of the materials for the Grammar, which only want being reduced into order. I have likewise almost finished a volume of Dialogues on the English Language, to ferve as a preparative for the other work. The more I reflect on the general ufe which must be made of this work wherever English is taught, the more I am convinced that the profits of it will be confiderable; and that if I keep the right of the Copy to myself (which my design) it will be an estate to my family. I have finished a Grammar too in English and French, for the use of all foreigners who understand French, that are defirous of attaining a knowledge of the English tongue by an eafy and fhort method. I have alfo drawn up a Grammar in English to facilitate the attainment of the French tongue to all who fpeak English; a work much wanted, and which I began at firft for the use of my children, upon finding the great imperfection of all hitherto published with that view. Mrs. Sheridan has writ a comedy called a Trip to Bath, in which fome good judges in England find a great deal of merit. She has alfo made two additional volumes to the Memoirs of Sidney, and has begun a Tragedy in profe upon part of the story contained in this latter part. Thus you fee, that, together with the time employed in the inftruction of the children, we have not been idle fince our arrival here. Our coming to Blois has been attended with the happy circumftance of restoring Mrs. Sheridan to a perfect good state of health, a bleffing which the had not known

for

for ten years before; and this alone would make me think it a fortunate event which drove us hither. But I have other reasons to blefs this event. It has afforded me an opportunity of acquiring two of the most useful kinds of knowledge, which one can be poffeffed of in this life; I mean a knowledge of the world, and a knowledge of myself. To know the world well, one must cease to be an actor in the busy scene of life, and be contented to be an humble fpectator; and to know one's felf well, long uninterrupted leifure for self-examination, at a distance from the turbulence and seductions of the world, is effentially neceffary. The refult of my reflections with regard to the world has been the fame with that of the wife man, that it is, Vanity of Vanities. But I have not like him ended my enquiries there. My mind could never rest in so dispiriting a conclufion; it naturally led me to the confideration of another life, where all that is amifs here will be rectified. And after the most unprejudiced enquiries, I remained in the full conviction, that it is from RELIGION alone that we can hope for contentment in this life, or happiness in a future one: and the refult of my felf-examination was, a determined refolution to make her facred dictates the guide of all my future actions. Don't think, SAM! that either fuperftition or melancholy have had the least influence on this occafion, for I have not a grain of either in my composition; it has been the effect of a long, cool, deliberate train of reflection.

I am forry I was not before made acquainted with the very kind part which Mr. Boyle took in my affairs. I fear a letter, after so great a distance of time, would appear with but an ill grace: I must therefore beg you will take it upon yourself to make him my moft grateful acknowledgments, and at the fame time the apology for my filence. not say a word about Mrs. Whyte, nor your Boy.

You do

Do you

think