Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/508

 504 SHERIDAN. thousand of the bravest of them were left dead on the spot. William immediately after this raised the siege; and Sarsfield had the glory of preserving his native country to his unfortunate master King James, for another campaign, against the ablest general of the age. He was afterwards created Earl of Lucan, and was second in command at the battle of Aughrim. St. Ruth (who was the first in command) and he, not having agreed on any one point, the former did not communicate to him the order of his battle that day; so that when St. Ruth fell, Lord Lucan, upon whom the chief command devolved, knew but little of the disposition of the army, with the exception of that part which had been immediately under his own orders; notwithstanding, however, this adverse circumstance, he acquired great honour, by the masterly retreat he made to Galway and Loughrea, to one of which he conducted the infantry, and to the other the horse. He afterwards fell in one of Marlborough's battles, covered with wounds, in the service of France, in which he had the rank of lieutenant-general. THOMAS SHERIDAN, D. D. The intimate friend of Dean Swift; is said by Shield, in Cibber's “Lives of the Poets,” to have been born about 1684, in the county of Cavan; where, according to the same authority, his parents lived in no very elevated state. They are described as being unable to afford their son the advantages of a liberal education; but he being observed to give early indications of genius, attracted the notice of a friend to h i s family, who sent him t o the college o f Dublin, and contributed towards h i s support while h e remained there. He afterwards entered into orders, and set u p a school i n Dublin, which long maintained a very high degree o f reputation, a s well for the attention bestowed o n the morals o f the scholars, a s for their pro ficiency i n literature. S o great was the estimation i n which this seminary was held, that i t i s asserted i n some