It would be very honourable, as well as juft, in those many perfons of quality and fortune, who had the advantage of being educated under Doctor Sheridan, if they would please to erect fome decent monument over his body, in the church where it is depofited.

THE

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

SECOND SOLOMON *,

H

Written in the Year M DCC XXIX.

E became acquainted with a perfon distinguished for poetical and other writings, and in an eminent station, who treated him with great kindness on all occafions, and he became familiar in this perfon's houfet. In three months time, Solomon, without the least provocation, writ a long poem, describing that person's muse to be dead, and making a funeral folemnity with affes, owls, &c. and gave the copy among all his acquaintance.

Solomon became acquainted with a most deferving lady, an intimate friend of the above perfon ‡, who entertained him also as fhe would a brother; and, upon giving him a little good advice, in the most decent manner, with relation to his wife, he told her, She was like other women, as bad as The was, and that they were all alike: Al

Dr. Sheridan,

+ Dean Swift.

Ff2

Stella, though

though his wife be, in every regard except gallantry, (which no creature would attempt) the most disagreeable beast in Europe.

He lets his wife (whom he pretends to hate as the deferves) govern, infult, and ruin him, as fhe pleases. Her character is this: Her perfon is deteftably disagreeable; a moft filthy flut; lazy, and flothful, and luxurious, ill-natured, envious, fufpicious; a fcold, expenfive on herself, covetous to others: She takes thieves and whores, for cheapnefs, to be her servants, and turns them off every week: Pofitive, infolent, an ignorant, prating, overweening fool; a lover of the dirtieft, meaneft company: An abominable tatler, affecting to be jealous of her husband with ladies of the best rank and merit, and merely out of affectation for perfect vanity.

Solomon has no ill-defign upon any perfon but himself, and he is the greatest deceiver of himself on all occafions.

His thoughts are fudden, and the most unreasonable always comes uppermoft; and he constantly refolves and acts upon his first thoughts, and then asks advice, but never once before.

The

The person above-mentioned, whom he lampooned in three months after their acquaintance, procured him a good preferment from the Lord Lieutenant: Upon going down to take poffeffion, Solomon preached, at Cork, a fermon on King George's birth-day, on this text, Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. Solomon, having been famous for a high Tory, and sufpected as a Jacobite, it was a moft difficult thing to get any thing for him: But that perfon, being an old friend of Lord Carteret, prevailed against all Solomon's enemies, and got him made likewise one of his Excellency's chaplains. But, upon this fermon, he was ftruck out of the lift, and forbid the Castle, until that fame perfon brought him again to the Lieutenant, and made them friends.

A fancy fprung in Solomon's head, that a house near Dublin would be commodious for him and his boarders, to lodge in on Saturdays and Sundays: Immediately, without confulting with any creature, he takes a lease of a rotten house at Rathfarnam, the worst air in Ireland, for 999 years, at twelve pounds a year; the land, which was only a ftrip of ground, not being worth twenty fhillings a year. Ff3

When the

fame

lea

ai

re

fame person whom he lampooned heard the thing, he begged Solomon to get a claufe of furrender, and at last prevailed i to have it done after twenty-one years; because it was a madness to pay eleven pounds a year, for a thousand years, for a house that could not last twenty. But Solomon made an agreement with his landlady that he fhould be at liberty to furrender his lease in seven years; and, if he did not do it at that time, should be obliged to keep it for 999 years. In the meantime, he expends about one hundred pounds on the house and garden-wall; and, in lefs than three years, contracts fuch a hatred to the house, that he lets it run to ruin: So that, when the seven years are expired, he must either take it for the remainder of the 999 years, or be fued for wafte, and lose all the money he laid out: And now he pays twelve pounds a year for a place he never fees.

Solomon has an eftate of about thirtyfive pounds per annum, in the county of Cavan; upon which, instead of ever receiving one penny rent, he hath expended above thirty pound per annum, in buildings and plantations, which are all gone to ruin.

Solomon