Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 48.djvu/109

  to devote himself to the bar; but he found little encouragement there, and soon returned to literature. ‘With Harp and Crown’ appeared in 1874, and ‘This Son of Vulcan’ in 1875. In 1876 the partners obtained a great success with ‘The Golden Butterfly,’ which became unusually popular from its intrinsic merit, especially in the portrait of the American, Gilead P. Beck, and by the advantage it derived from publication in the ‘World.’ ‘The Monks of Thelema’ (1877) also appeared in the ‘World,’ and in 1878 and 1879 ‘By Celia's Arbour’ and ‘The Chaplain of the Fleet’ were published in the ‘Graphic.’ The last novel in which Rice had a share was ‘The Seamy Side’ (1881). He and his colleague had for some time past been writing Christmas stories for ‘All the Year Round’ and the ‘World,’ and had made some unsuccessful experiments in the drama. In January 1881 Rice, whose health had hitherto been excellent, was attacked by a serious illness, and, although apparently recovering, could never rally from its results. He died at Redhill, of failure of the heart's action, on 26 April 1882. In 1871 he married, at Dublin, Lillie, daughter of George Latouche Dickinson of St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, by whom he left a son, Fabian Arthur Besant Rice.

Rice's literary colleague, writing to the ‘Athenæum’ on the day of his death, spoke of him as eminently large-minded, thoroughly businesslike, and full of loyalty and goodness of heart. The novels in which he had a hand have almost all the merit of vigorous developments of a single excellent idea, enriched with humorous and truthful portraiture, manly throughout, and never tedious.

[Sir Walter Besant in the preface to the library edition of Ready Money Mortiboy, 1887, and in the Athenæum for 29 April 1882; private information; notes furnished by the Rev. J. H. Gray of Queens' College.]  RICE, JOHN  (d.  1573?), visitor of monasteries. [See ]

 RICE or PRICE, RICHARD (fl. 1548–1579), author, described by Tanner as ‘Suffolciensis,’ was a brother of Ellis Price [q. v.] (Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, x. 434), and son of Robert ap Rhys ap Maredudd of Foelas and Plas Iolyn, Denbighshire. In 1535, being a monk, he was recommended by Bishop Lee for election to the abbacy of Conway (ib. viii. 448). The abbot was still living and opposed Rice's election, ‘knowing him to be a wilful and misruled person, who would utterly destroy the abbey’ (ib. x. 340). Rice, however, was elected in 1536. In the following year Conway was dissolved, and Rice endeavoured to make good terms for himself and his brethren (ib.)

Rice wrote: 1. ‘The Right Institution of Baptism set forth by the Reverend Father in Christ Herman, Archbishop of Cologne, whereunto is also annexed a Godly Treatys of Matrimonie, compiled by the famous Clerke and faithfull Evangelist Wolfgangus Musculus, no lesse frutefull than necessary for all Godly Ministers of Christes Church, translated by the unproffytable servaunt of Christ, Richard Ryce,’ London, 1548, 8vo, and also by another printer, Anthony Scoloker [q. v.], without place or date, 16mo. 2. ‘An Invective against Vices taken for Virtue, gathered out of the Scriptures by the very unprofitable Servant of Jesus Christ, Richard Rice; also certeine necessary Instructions meet to be taught the younger sort before they come to be partakers of the Holy Communion,’ London, 1579, 16mo (and another imprint by Kyngston, 8vo, black letter).

[Maitland's Cat. of Early Printed Books at Lambeth, p. 245; Hazlitt's Handbook to Early Engl. Lit. p. 503, and Collections, i. 357; Dibdin's Typogr. Antiq. iv. 307; Tanner's Bibl. Brit.-Hib.; Watt's Bibl. Brit.]  RICE, STEPHEN (1637–1715), chief baron of the exchequer in Ireland, born in 1637, was a younger son of James Rice of Dingle, co. Kerry, by Phillis Fanning of Limerick. Before the death of Charles II he had acquired a large practice at the Irish bar, and showed skill as counsel in revenue matters. ‘He had,’ says Archbishop King, ‘formerly been noted for a rook and gamester at the inns of court. He was (to give him his due) a man of the best sense among them, well enough versed in the law, but most signal for his inveteracy against the protestant interest and settlement of Ireland, having been often heard to say, before he was a judge, that he would “drive a coach and six horses through the act of settlement,” upon which both depended’ (State of the Protestants, chap. iii. sect. viii. p. 6). In April 1686 James II appointed him baron of the exchequer. Room was found by the peremptory dismissal of Sir Standish Hartstonge (Clarendon and Rochester Correspondence, i. 316, 324, 338). Rice was made a privy councillor in May along with Tyrconnel, Nugent, Nagle, Justin MacCarthy, and Richard Hamilton. He first sat as a judge at the beginning of June, being dispensed from taking the oath of supremacy, and afterwards went the Leinster circuit. The exchequer soon became the most important of the Irish courts, as it was the only one from which a writ of error did not lie in England. It was crowded with