Page:A cyclopaedia of female biography.djvu/399

 interchange of correspondence relative to the education and the disposal of their children. But years rolled on, and from that time till the hour of her death, Captain and Mrs. Hemans never met again. She continued to reside with her mother al Bronwylfa, and had the five boys left under her care; a sufficient proof that nothing more than incompatibility of pursuits and uncongeniality of temper were the moving causes of the separation.

Notwithstanding the peculiarity of her situation, in consequence of this separation, her talents, her amiable qualities, and the increasing popularity of her writings, continued to secure Mrs. Hemans the warm attachment of several distinguished friends, among whom were Bishop Luxmoore and Bishop Heber; with the latter she became acquainted in 1820, and he was the first literary character with whom she ever familiarly associated. To him she submitted the commencement of a poem, entitled "Superstition and Revelation," which was, however, never completed by her, and at his suggestion, she was first led to offer her "Vespers of Palermo" to the stage. This play, completed in June, 1821, was, after many theatrical delays, acted at Covent Garden, in December, 1823, but proved a failure. It, however, led to a correspondence with the poet Milman, who kindly interested himself in its behalf; and it was subsequently acted in Edinburgh with considerable success,—with an epilogue written by Sir Walter Scott.

The death of her beloved mother, which occurred in 1827, was an irreparable loss to Mrs. Hemans; she had now no one to whom she could cling for protection; and her sensitive, dependent nature, made the maternal shelter and security necessary to her happiness—almost to her existence. As the care and education of her five sons now devolved entirely on herself, she was induced to leave Wales, where her heart still clung, and settle at Wavertree, a small village near Liverpool, where she hoped to find superior advantages of education for her boys.

During the many years that Mrs. Hemans resided with her mother, the anxieties and responsibilities of housekeeping had never fallen to her lot, for her time and thoughts might be and were almost exclusively devoted to poetry and literature. But now domestic cares forced themselves upon her attention, and household duties, in which she felt but little interest.

In the summer of 1829 she visited Scotland, where she was cordially received by many distinguished persons, among others, by Sir Walter Scott, with whom she spent two or three weeks very delightfully. When bidding her farewell, he said, "There are some whom we meet, and should like ever after to claim as kith and kin, and you are one of these." On one occasion he observed, "One would say you had too many accomplishments, Mrs. Hemans, were they not all made to give pleasure to those around you." In 1830, Mrs. Hemans visited the Lakes, where she formed a personal acquaintance with Wordsworth, whose writings she had always admired. Mrs. Hemans was delighted with the scenery at Rydal Mount, and concluded to hire a residence called Dove's Nest, beautifully situated in a very romantic spot on the banks of Windermere.

In 1831 she left England with her children, to take up her residence permanently in Dublin. The next four years were passed busily and rather pleasantly by Mrs. Hemans, who continued to write unceasingly, though a gradual decline in her health was per-