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EDW.JERNINGHAM ESQ from an Original Picture

Published as the Act direct by J.Sewell, 31, Cornfall; 10.

THE

EUROPEAN MAGAZINE,

AND

LONDON REVIEW,

For JUNE 1794.

T

J

EDWARD JERNINGHAM, ESQ.
(WITH A PORTRAIT.)

HIS Gentleman is defcended from an ancient family in the county of Norfolk, and is brother to the prefent Baronet. He received the firft elements of education at the Englith College at Douay, and completed his ftudies at Paris. The writer of this narrative commenced an acquaintance with this gentleman when he returned to England in the year 1762.His first attempt in poetry was an Imitation of Gray's Elegy, in a poem called The Nunnery. The eftablishment of the Magdalen Charity next engaged his attention: the poem enitled The Magdalens met with general approbation. The late Mr. Jonas Hanway (one of the first promoters of the Magdalen Charity) affured me that the diffufion and popularity of that little pathetic Elegy was of fervice 20 the inftitution, which, as Mr. Han, way obferved, was then ruggling into favour. This poem was infcribed to Lady Hervey, the mother to the Earl of Briftol. This lady was diftinguished for her erudition, a refined tafte, and an unerring judgment in works of literature. In the early part of her life the lived two years amid the fpendor of the Court of Verfailles, as the guest and intimate friend of the celebrated Mademoiselle Charolais, who was allied to the royal family. Lady Hervey's houfe was the receptacle of every thing that was elegant and renowned, and was a kind of pafiport to fame.

Our author was fortunate in fo early an introduction to a lady, on whofe it of acquaintance were found

the names of Chefterfield, Lyttelton,
Marchmont, Mansfield,
Melcombe,
Bolingbroke, &c. and he has mention-
ed to me, with a recollective compla-
cency, his having bafked (to ufe his
own expreffion) in the funfet of thofe
eminent perfonages. I

The following lines, by Mr. Jer. ningham, were written at this period; and the writer of the prefent narrative is furprifed not to find them inferted in the Collection of his Poems.

To THE RIGHT HON, LADY HERVEY.

Late in the Graces' annals have I read
The myrtle wreath adorn'd your youthful
head;

That you unrivall¡ trod th’Idalian green,
And that the Loves elected you their

queen!

Of jealous Time defpife the trivial harm; Still by your wit you conquer, reign, and charm

The learn'd throughout the realm your genius own,

And HERVEY only has exchang'd her throne !

The next publication was the Elegy entitled The Nun. This poem has perhaps obtained more celebrity than any of his other poetical effufions, though it is not equal to the Il Latte, which difplays, on a fubje&t entirely New, an original and inventive mind. The three volumes now in the poffef fion of the public (of which the last ha lately appeared) cortain all his Poms, except The Siege of Berwick, hich he is adding a fifth act. In general furvey of this gentleman's 0882 worksą

to

a

works, they appear to be the refult of a feeling heart inftigating an elegant mind. It has been frequently obferved, that a fomething (not easily defined) pervades his compofitions, which is at once foothing, conciliating, and affecting.

Several of the leffer poems have been fet to mufic. The Soldier's Farewell has employed the harmonic pow ers of Mr. Billington and Mr. Carter. The Defter has been fet to mufic

DEAR SIR,

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by Mr. Moulds, and Matilda by Mr, Condel. Nor has mufic only paid its compliment to Mr. Jerningham's poetry. A beautiful engraving of the Soldier's Farewell was published by Smith; the fine picture of the An cient English Wake, by Hamilton, in Macklin's Gallery is well known; a highly-finished engraving of The Nur, by Cheeseman, from a sketch of Weftal; is juft published.

DENNI S.

ON JOHN
TO ISAAC REED, ESQ.

Eman. Coll. Camb.
Jan. 28, 1794

EFORE I had the favour of your letter by Mr. Pugh, I had accidentally fallen upon the Life of John Dennis in the new volume of the Biographia; and fimiled a little at the paffage where the Author (1 fuppofe Dr. Kippis) has argued us to triumphantly out of a matter of fact.-Let him fpeak for himfelf.

Art. JOHN DENNIS.-BIOGR. Br. BY DR. KIPPIS.

"In the 18th year of his age he was removed from Harrow School to

the University of Cambridge, where he was entered of Cars on the 13th of January 1675. At this college Mr. Dennis continued till he took his Bachelor's degree, which was in 1679; after which he became a member of Trinity Hall, where, in 1683, he was admitted to the degree of Mafter of Arts. It is related by the author of the Biographia Dramatica, that he was expelled from College, for literally attempting to ftab a perfon in the dark; but this we cannot help regarding as a ftory entirely deftitute of foundation; for

not to mention that we have met with no traces of it in all the fevere things we have read concerning Mr. Dennis,

the fact is abfolutely inconfiftent with his being a member of the University for more than feven years, and then quitting it with a Master's degree."

You fay, truly, that I am anfwer able for this ftory of Expulfion; for, from my Pamphlet you had it! Indecd, I wonder that the Doctor did not rather fall on the original inventor, as he quotes me foon afterwards, even fomewhat to the difparagement of the old Critic himself.

But let us fee whether the ftory be, as the Doctor fays, entirely deflitute of foundation.

I might plead, in the first place. that were it not true, I gave it only as I received it froth the late Matter of the College, Sir James Burrough, to whofe accuracy in a thoufand anecdotes, every one who knew him willbe a willing witnefs; and I add the teftimony of Dr. Smith, the prefent Mafter, who declares it to have been a well-remembered tradition when he first knew the college above fixty years

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*I do not feel myfelf much honoured by this preference. Dennis indeed argued against the learning of Shakspeare, but entirely upon falfe principles; and he at laft admits a fact, which totally ruins his argument.

" he was familiarly converfant with the Grecian and Roman authors, how comes it to pass that he wants art? How comes he to have introduced fome characters into his plays fo unlike what they are to be found in history? Menenius was an eloquent perfon, Shakspeare has made him a downright buffoon. Had he read either Sallust or Cicero, how could he have made fo very little of the first and greatest of men, Cefar? How comes it that he has given us no proofs of his familiar acquaintance with the ancients but an imitation of the Menechmi, and a version of two epiltles of Ovid?" But enough of fuch criticifm.-However, to do him juftice, he afterwards fuppofes it not improbable that a Tranflation of the Menechmi might be extant in the time of Skalfpeare; which has ince proved to be the cafe.

Graduates

Graduates with fome other perfon of the fame name.

Had you turned, however, to Giles Jacob's Lives, you would have feen, that Dennis exprefsly fays (for it appears in the Supplement that the account was fent by the GENTLEMAN himself) "he removed from Harrow to Caius College in Cambridge, where he took the Degrees of Bachelor and Mafter of Arts." He does not mention his fecond college, and I fufpect him to be purpofely ambiguous. The truth is, it was formerly by no means uncommon for a man, after the fevereft cenfures of his own college (were he not actually expelled the University), to gain adimiffion into another, from interest or from party, or perhaps fometimes from the little emoluments he brought to his new fociety. This at length produced the grace of the Senate in 732, which put an end to this infanous traffick:

De migrantibus ab uno collegio in aliud. PLACEAT vobis, ut fi quifquam

fcholaris infra gradum magiftri in ar tibus tranftulerit fe ab alio collegio in aliud, nifi prius impetratis literis fub chirographo magiftri collegii, decani et prælectoris, teftantibus de honefta fua et laudabili converfatione, perfol vere teneatur quinque libras collegio à quo fecefferit, et quinque libras communi ciftæ academiæ.

Yet we have not proved that Dennis was expelled from Caius, his origi al College; but this matter is foon fettled; though the tradition more fully expreffes the caufe of it. On turning to their Gefa Book, under the bead "Sir Dennis fent away," appears this entry:

"Mar. 4, 1680. At a meeting of the Mafter and Fellows, Sir Dennis muleted £3. his fcholarship taken away, and he fent out of College, for affaulting and wounding Sir Glenbam with a fword."

I am, dear Sir, Your's, &c.

R. FARMER.

AN ACCOUNT OF MRS. MARY FITZHENRY, FORMERLY MRS. GREGORY, THE CELEBRATED ACTRESS.

DISTINGUISHED public talents united with private worth deferve to be commemorated, and when the latter is difplayed in fituations of danger and difficulty, it becomes a duty to point out the poffeffors to the notice and imitation of the world. Mrs. FITZHENRY's maiden name was FLANAGAN, the daughter of mine hoft of the Old Ferry-boat, at the lower end of Abbey-ftreet, near the fite of the New Cuftom Houfe, in Dublin, but after. wards removed to the Batchelor's Walk. She was born about the year 1732, and refided with her father, employing hercif in the bufinefs of embroidery, to which the had been regularly bred. In this fituation fhe would frequently amufe her mind, at intervals, with a play-book, a conftant companion, as the fat at her frame working for her fup. port, and contributing, with laudable attention, to that of her aged father. The houfe being contiguous to the river, the Captains and Officers of the fhips lying in the vicinity made it their place of rendezvous, and fome of them occafionally fodged and boarded with the good landlord of Old Ferryboat. One of them was Captain Gregory, then in the Bourdeaux trade, who colorving her filial attention, her pru

dent unaffected manners, her industry, and her many engaging qualities, was captivated with her, and offered her his hand. With the confent of her father the accepted him, and their union feemed to promife that degree of happinefs which her irreproachable conduct deferved. Providence, however, referved her for a fevere disappoint ment in this refpect, for he had not been long married before her husband was unfortunately drowned. About the fame period the alfo loft her father. Being therefore left to the exertion of her own talents for fupport, fhe fortu nately determined on the ftage; and being known to Mr. Luke Sparks, in London, fhe wrote to acquaint him with her refolution to try her fate before the public, defiring him at the fame time to prepare the way for her appearance with the Mana ger of the theatre he was engaged in. " But," fays Mr. Victor, whofe words we now quote, "fo many unfuc cefsful attempts having been made within thefe few years paft, it seemed irrational to encourage a woman to undertake fo long and expenfive a voyage. and journey, without any other hope of fuccefs than her own inclination, which is too often mistaken for genius. Her

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