Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/25

Rh ſevere lectures, which the juſt provocation, and jealouſy of his wife taught her to read him. Mrs. Tilly at laſt died, and our gallant was left at his freedom to marry the object of his paſſion; but unluckily his finances were in ſuch a ſituation, that he was obliged to repair them by marrying a woman of fortune. This was a cruel circumſtance; for he really loved, and doated upon Mrs. Manley, and had the felicity of a reciprocal paſſion. She agreed however, in order to repair his fortune, that he ſhould marry a rich young widow, whom he ſoon won by the elegance of his addreſs, while our authoreſs retired into the country to ſpend her days in ſolitude and ſorrow, and bid an everlaſting farewel to the pleaſures of love and gallantry. Mr. Tilly did not many years ſurvive this ſeparation; his life was rendered miſerable at home by the jealouſy of his young wife, who had heard of his affair with Mrs. Manley; he loft his ſenſes, and died in a deplorable ſituation.

During her retirement, our authoreſs, who had a moſt confirmed averſion to the Whig miniſtry, wrote her Atalantis, which was meant as a repreſentation of the characters of ſome of thoſe, who had effected the Revolution. A warrant was granted from the ſecrctary of ſtate’s office, to ſeize the Printer and Publiſher of theſe volumes. This circumſtance reduced the writer to a very troubleſome dilemma; ſhe could not bear the thoughts that innocent people ſhould ſuffer on her account, and ſhe judged it cruel to remain concealed, while they, who were only inferior inſtruments, were ſuffering for her. She conſulted, on this occaſion, her beſt friend, general Tidcomb, who, after rallying her for expoſing people, who had never in particular injured her, he adviſed her to go into France, and made her an offer of his purſe for that purpoſe. This advice ſhe rejected, and came to a determined reſolution, that no perſon ſhould ever