Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/328

 324 GEORGE EDMOND HOWARD, A voluminous and very ingenious author, who was a compound of talents and absurdity, was a native of Ire land, and received his school education under the Rev. Dr. Sheridan, the companion of Swift, and then esteemed the first schoolmaster in Ireland. With him he conti nued until he was qualified for entering the university of Dublin. He was author of three tragedies, “Almeyda; o r , the Rival Kings,” 1770; “The Siege o f Tamor,” 1773; and “The Female Gamester,” 1778. He was a n attorney i n Dublin, and wrote several law books, having been better acquainted with the proceedings o f the courts than the business o f a theatre.—According t o his own account, h e did not begin t o court the tragic muse till h e was fifty years o f age; and, probably, the lady thought him a t too advanced a period o f life t o bestow o n him any o f her gra cious smiles.—The first tragedy was played for a benefit a t Smock Alley, Dublin, and universal laughter attended the distresses o f his hero and heroine. Thesecond was performed t o empty benches a t Fishamble-street. He produced a volume o f poems, but complained, that “though they were published for the benefit o f a charity, the envious town refused t o encourage the sale.” He died some years since”, PHILIP HUSSEY, Was a native o f Cork, and painted whole length por traits i n oil. He began his career a s a mariner, and suffered shipwreck five times. He evinced his disposition for the polite arts b y drawing the figures from the sterns • we here beg t o observe, that we conceive i t desirable that such anthors a s the present should b e suffered t o tell their own history; and we have little doubt but that our readers will b e infinitely better satisfied and amused with Mr. Howard's account o f himself, than one abridged, o r even enlarged with the animadversions o f a biographer.