Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 38.djvu/422

 sum paid seems to have been forty guineas (, p. 29). Mrs. Montagu declared that her muse had done equal justice to Roman magnanimity and Gothic spirit. Garrick called her 'Nine,' as an embodiment of all the muses, and encouraged her to write for the stage, besides advising her in the course of her work. Her tragedy of 'Percy,' for which he wrote prologue and epilogue, was accordingly produced at Covent Garden, 10 Dec. 1777, and had a run of twenty-one nights. Four thousand copies of the first edition were sold in a fortnight. A charge of plagiarism made against her by Hannah Cowley [q. v.] appears to have been quite groundless. Miss More declared that she had never seen the manuscript from which she was supposed to have stolen. She began another tragedy, 'The Fatal Falsehood,' under Garrick's superintendence, which was produced on 6 May 1779 with less success at the same theatre soon after his death.

Garrick's death (20 Jan. 1779) formed, it is said, an era in Hannah More's life. She gradually retired from the gaieties to which he had introduced her. She came to think Mrs. Siddons as the heroine (, iv. 374). Upon Garrick's death she was summoned by Mrs. Garrick, with whom she stayed for some time. The intimacy continued for a long time, and upon Mrs. Garrick's death in 1822 Hannah More speaks of having spent 'twenty winters' in her friend's house (ib. iv. 168). Although circumstances separated them in later years, there was no avowed coolness. Hannah More kept up her relations with London society for a time, and in 1781 made acquaintance with Horace Walpole. He printed a little poem of hers, 'Bonner's Ghost,' at the Strawberry Hill press in 1781, and wrote many letters to her in later years, which, in spite of his affectations, seem to indicate a genuine liking and admiration. He avoids offending her by too worldly atone. Her biographer apologises for her friendly intercourse with the old courtier, but apology is hardly required.

In 1782 she published her 'Sacred Dramas,' intended chiefly for 'young persons.' Tate Wilkinson (Wandering Patentee, iv. 75, 80) proposed to bring these upon the stage at ull in November 1793, as prepared by Mr. 'A. M.,' 'a gentleman of strong abilities,' but was deterred by a general outcry of profanity. One of them, 'Moses in the Bullrushes,' with other works of hers, was afterwards translated into Cingalese (, iv. 46).

In 1784 she found that a poor milkwoman at Bristol, a Mrs. Anne Yearsley [q. v.], had been writing poetry. Hannah More took her for a genius, edited a collection of her poems, and raised 500l. or 600l. for her benefit. She was greatly occupied in this benevolent task for more than a year. Mrs. Montagu, who thought that a study of the Bible had enabled Mrs. Yearsley to soar above Pindar and Æschylus (ib. i. 364), became trustee with Hannah More for the money. Unluckily the milk-woman wished to have the capital sum, which her trustees apparently feared would be spent upon drink. She became angry, accused them of theft, and declared that Hannah More was envious of her talents. The money was handed over by the trustees to a merchant at Bristol, and ultimately, it seems, to Mrs. Yearsley. She published a novel called 'The Man in the Iron Mask,' by which she made 200l., produced a tragedy, 'Earl Goodwin,' and set up a circulating library. Cottle says that he helped her out of some difficulties. She lost her husband and two sons, and retired to Melksham in Wiltshire, where she died in 1806, in a state of almost 'total seclusion' (, Early Recollections, i. 69-77 ;, p. 55).

Meanwhile Hannah More had been making more serious friendships, especially with Dr. Kennicott, Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Home, Bishop Porteus, and other dignitaries. Her religious impressions became deeper. In 1780 she was much impressed by the 'Cardiphonia' of John Newton (1725-1807) [q. v.] In 1787 she heard a sermon from him, sat with him for an hour, and came home 'with two pockets full of sermons' (, ii. 54). He soon became a regular correspondent and adviser on religious topics. In 1787 she also saw much of Wilberforce, who was beginning the agitation against the slave-trade, and who was ever afterwards her close friend. She spent the summer at Cowslip Green, in the parish of Blagdon, ten miles from Bristol on the Exeter road, where she had built a cottage two years before. It is close to Wrington, where Locke was born. Mrs. Montagu presented her with an urn in memory of the philosopher, which was placed in her garden, and afterwards moved to Barley Wood, opposite Locke's birthplace. She amused herself with gardening, of which she was very fond, and seldom moved except to pay her annual visits to Mrs. Garrick and visit her friends about London. In 1788 appeared the first result of her more serious reflections : 'Thoughts on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to General Society.' It was anonymous, and at first attributed to Wilberforce. Several editions were sold with great rapidity, and it was afterwards followed by writings in