Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/65

 DE LA COUR. 61 dedicated to the Right Hon. the Earl of Cork and Orrery. Being an ingenious publication, it gained him much and deserved applause; and in his list of admirers, might be enumerated some of the best judges in both countries*. Soon after this he took holy orders, but unfortunately the praise of the poet slackened the zeal of the parson, and De la Cour produced his sermons as matters of ordinary duty. His muse was the mistress which engaged his prin cipal attention, and as the muses are generally attached to “the gay and busy haunts of men,” this pursuit was but of little service to his promotion or clerical character. He unluckily too was attached to his bottle as well as his muse, and by the pursuit of such indulgences, lowered himself in the esteem of his fellow-citizens, who declared poetry affected his head, and shortly after gave him the title of “the mad parson;” under which general character the graver kind of people grew cautious of his acquaint ance, whilst the young ones solicited his company, for the sake of enjoying his eccentricities. In a short time he fell so much into this last seduction, that he became the volunteer of any party who would engage him for the night. This incessant dissipation (as might be conjec tured) soon enfeebled his understanding, and the charge which malice or ignorance at first fastened on him, was now realized. His intellects were at times evidently de ranged, and he fancied himself, after the example of Socrates, to be nightly visited by a demon, who enabled him to prophesy a l l manner o f future events. During the career o f this unhappy impression, the fol lowing circumstance occurred which i s worthy o f recording. Swift was not, however, among the number, i f we may judge from the following epigram i n his works:— “On one Delacour's complimenting Carthy, a schoolmaster, o n his poetry:— “Carthy, you say, writes well—his genius true; You pawn your word for him—he'll vouch for you. So two poor knaves who find their credit fail To cheat the world, become each other's bail.” -