. Sheridan's comedies: . he protected him againstany other suit which might be urged against him. Mrs. Sheridansent for the Bishop of London to read prayers for him, but Sheridanwas wholly insensible. At nine oclock on the morning of Sunday,July 7, 1816, he said Good-bye; these were his last words. Hesank rapidly, and died at twelve noon. On the following Saturday, July 13, the body of the man who haddied in neglect was buried with great pomp in Westminster Abbey,with Dukes and Earls as pall-bearers, and with a long string of Royaland Noble mourners. Sheridans character is enigmatic; it is not
. Sheridan's comedies: . he protected him againstany other suit which might be urged against him. Mrs. Sheridansent for the Bishop of London to read prayers for him, but Sheridanwas wholly insensible. At nine oclock on the morning of Sunday,July 7, 1816, he said Good-bye; these were his last words. Hesank rapidly, and died at twelve noon. On the following Saturday, July 13, the body of the man who haddied in neglect was buried with great pomp in Westminster Abbey,with Dukes and Earls as pall-bearers, and with a long string of Royaland Noble mourners. Sheridans character is enigmatic; it is not to be read off-handand at random ; it is complicated and unequal; and it is to be under-stood and explained only at the cost of effort. Sheridan was good-natured and warm hearted; he never did any one any intentionalinjury; but he brought trouble on all who trusted him. While hewas gentle, kind and affectionate, his wife had reason to feelneglected, and his father parted from him in anger. He earned IB \ ?K ) * K ?^. \ \ vj v. & Fac-simile of Autograph Letter of Sheridan. A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 57 enormous sums of money, and his advice to others was always admi-rable, but his own affairs wereMn ever-increasing confusion. He wasalways involved in debt; yet his accounts as a government officerwere scrupulously accurate. To continue the antitheses would beeasy, for the story of his life is a series of antithesis; but to suggesta clue to the labyrinth of his character is not so easy. Briefly, I aminclined to think that it is to be sought iii the uncommon conjunctionin Sheridan of two irreconcilable things, a very high standard ofmorals with an absence of training and discipline. The latter failingvitiated the former virtue. Incapable of keeping himself up in theclear air and on the high level of exalted principle to which heaspired, he was far less careful in the ordinary duties of life than arethose whose aim is not so lofty. When he found that he could notattain the high standar
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