Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 16.djvu/388

 novels for adult readers by ‘Castle Rackrent.’ It was published anonymously, and was written without her father's assistance. Its vigorous descriptions of Irish character caused a rapid success, and the second edition appeared with her name. It was followed by ‘Belinda’ in 1801. In 1802 appeared the ‘Essay on Irish Bulls,’ by herself and her father. Miss Edgeworth had now won fame as an authoress. The ‘Practical Education’ had been translated by M. Pictet of Geneva, who also published translations of the ‘Moral Tales’ in his ‘Bibliothèque Britannique.’ He visited the Edgeworths in Ireland; and she soon afterwards accompanied her father on a visit to France during the peace of Amiens, receiving many civilities from distinguished literary people. At Paris she met a Swedish count, Edelcrantz, who made her an offer. As she could not think of retiring to Stockholm, and he felt bound to continue there, the match failed. Her spirits suffered for a time, and though all communication dropped she remembered him through life, and directly after her return wrote ‘Leonora,’ a novel intended to meet his tastes. The party returned to England in March 1803, and, after a short visit to Edinburgh, to Edgeworthstown, where Maria set to work upon her stories. She wrote in the common sitting-room, amidst all manner of domestic distractions, and submitted everything to her father, who frequently inserted passages of his own. ‘Popular Tales’ and the ‘Modern Griselda’ appeared in 1804, ‘Leonora’ in 1806, the first series of ‘Tales of Fashionable Life’ (containing ‘Eunice,’ ‘The Dun,’ ‘Manœuvring,’ and ‘Almeria’) in 1809, and the second series (the ‘Absentee,’ ‘Vivian,’ and ‘Mme. de Fleury’) in 1812. On a visit to London in the spring of 1803 the Edgeworths attracted much notice. Byron, who laughed at the father, admitted that Miss Edgeworth was simple and charming (Diary, 19 Jan. 1821), Crabb Robinson gives a similar account, and Mackintosh (Life, ii. 262) confirms the opinion, and says that she ‘was courted by all persons of distinction in London with an avidity almost without example.’ On her return she finished ‘Patronage,’ begun (see above) in 1787, which came out in 1814. She set to work upon ‘Harrington’ and ‘Ormond,’ which were published together in 1817. She received a few sheets in time to give them to her father on his birthday, 31 May 1817. He had been specially interested in ‘Ormond,’ to which he had contributed a few scenes. He wrote a short preface to the book, and died 13 June following. After Edgeworth's death his unmarried son Lovell kept up the house. Edgeworth had left his ‘Memoirs’ to his daughter, with an injunction to complete them and publish his part unaltered. She had prepared the book for press in the summer of 1818, though in much depression, due to family troubles, to sickness among the peasantry, and to an alarming weakness of the eyes. She gave up reading, writing, and needlework almost entirely for two years, when her eyes completely recovered. Her sisters meanwhile acted as amanuenses. She visited Bowood in the autumn of 1818, chiefly to take the advice of her friend Dumont upon the ‘Memoirs.’ In 1819 she was again in London, and in 1820 she went with two sisters to Paris, where she was petted by the best society, and afterwards to Geneva, returning to Edgeworthstown in March 1821. The ‘Memoirs’ were published during her absence in 1820, and were bitterly attacked in the ‘Quarterly Review.’ They reached a second edition in 1828, and a third in 1844, when she rewrote her own part.

She again settled to her domestic and literary occupations. During the rest of her life Edgeworthstown continued to be her residence, though she frequently visited London, and made occasional tours. The most remarkable was a visit to Scotland in the spring of 1823. Scott welcomed her in the heartiest way, and, after seeing her at Edinburgh, received her at Abbotsford. She had read the ‘Lay of the Last Minstrel’ on its first appearance during her convalescence from a low fever in 1805. Scott declared (in the last chapter of ‘Waverley,’ and afterwards in the preface to the collected novels) that her descriptions of Irish character had encouraged him to make a similar experiment upon Scottish character in the ‘Waverley’ novels. He sent her a copy of ‘Waverley’ on its first publication, though without acknowledging the authorship, and she replied with enthusiasm. On a personal acquaintance he surpassed her expectations. In 1825 Scott returned the visit at Edgeworthstown, and she made a trip with him to Killarney. He entertained a large party of Edgeworths at Dublin before leaving, and they drank his health upon his birthday (15 Aug.) They never again met, but their correspondence was always most cordial.

During the commercial troubles of 1826 Miss Edgeworth resumed the management of the estate for her brother Lovell, having given up receiving the rents on her father's death. She showed great business talent, and took a keen personal interest in the poor upon the estate. Although greatly occupied by such duties, she again took to writing, beginning her last novel, ‘Helen,’ about 1830. It did not appear till 1834, and soon reached a