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SIR GEORGE ETHEREGE.

Summary of Etherege's Character-His Comedy of "The Comical Revenge "-Introduced to the private Parties of Charles-His Dramatic Writings-Libertinism of his Poetry-Marries a rich Widow to retrieve his Fortunes-His Necessities compel him to quit England-Retires to Ratisbon-His Witty Letter to the Duke of Buckingham-The German Widow-Sudden Death of Etherege -His Sprightliness and showy Person.

If the Court of Charles the Second was the resort of all who who were profligate and unprincipled, the King at least collected round his own person as much wit as the age could afford, as well as that kind of light and agreeable talent, which embellishes, if only with a superficial lustre, the grossness and stupidity of ordinary vice.

Among those, whom their genius or conversational talents had introduced to the royal circle, was Sir George Etherege. He was a man known affectionately among his own friends as Gentle George and Easy Etherege; and is still popular with posterity from his dramatic writings, as well as from some lighter productions of his accomplished and versatile mind. He is described by his contemporaries as one of the finest gentlemen who frequented the Court, and was certainly not without a considerable share of wit. Unfortunately, however, the profligacy of his life was exceeded only by the libertinism of his muse.

Sir George Etherege, who was born about the year 1636, is said to have been descended from an ancient family in Oxfordshire. There is reason to believe that he graduated at Cambridge. As regards his youth,

however, it is only certain that he travelled early in France, and that he entered himself, on his return, at one of the Inns of Court. The dry details of the law being but little suited to the vivacity of his disposition, he, not long afterwards, deserted the courts of law for those of pleasure and the muses. In 1664, we find him famous as the author of a successful comedy, "The Comic Revenge, or Love in a Tub."

The flattering reception fo his play, which was first acted at the Duke of York's Theatre, in Lincoln's Inn Fields, as well as the reputation he had acquired for social humour and conversational talent, introduced him at once into the society of the court wits, and to the private parties of Charles. In dedicating his play to the gay Mecenas of his time, Charles, Lord Buckhurst, afterwards Earl of Dorset,-"I could not," he says, "have wished myself more fortunate than I have been, in the success of this poem : the writing of it was a means to make me known to your lordship; the acting of it has lost me no reputation; and the printing of it has now given me an opportunity to show you how much I honour you," &c. Indolence was one of the many failings of the good-humoured poet. It was not till the year 1668, that he brought out his second and more finished comedy of "She would if She could;" and, moreover, nearly eight more years of idleness were allowed to elapse before he gave to the world his last and most celebrated production, "The Man of Mode, or Sir Fopling Flutter," which is still read and admired. According to a couplet in the Session of the Poets,—

"In the crying sin, Idleness, he was so hardened,

That his seven years' silence was not to be pardoned."

"The Man of Mode," in consequence of the general

impression that existed at the time that the poet had introduced into it existing characters under fictitious names, excited the eager attention of his contemporaries. Sir Fopling Flutter was thought to be Beau Hewit, a famous fop of the period; Dorimont, Wilmot Earl of Rochester; and Medley, the Poet himself. Dean Lockier, on the other hand, who was personally acquainted with Etherege,* was of opinion, that it. was the courtly Dorimont with whose character the poet intended to identify himself. "Sir George Etherege," he said, in conversation with Spence, "was as thorough a fop as ever I he was exactly his own Sir Fopling Flutter, and yet he designed Dorimont, the genteel rake of wit, for his own picture."

saw;

The circumstance is characteristic of the easy morality of the period, that a play, which stands conspicuous for its immoral tendency, should have been dedicated to a woman of unblemished virtue, Mary of Modena, who afterwards shared the throne with James the Second. The "Man of Mode," however, is not so much to be reprobated for any offensive grossness of expression, as for that dangerous and insinuating libertinism, and that evident intention to extol vice and undermine virtue, which is the general character of all his productions.

"Here gentle Etherege and Sedley's muse,
Warm the coy maid and melting love infuse;
No unchaste words, with harsh offensive sound,
The tender ears of blushing virgins wound;
Nor thoughts, which nauseous images inspire,
And damp the glowing heat of warm desire :
But calm and easy the sweet numbers move,
And every verse is influenced by love."

Addicted, beyond all moderation, to wine, women, and

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the gaming-table-with an impaired constitution and an impoverished purse-the poet is said to have paid his addresses to a rich widow, whose only merit in his eyes was the means she possessed of extricating him from his pecuniary difficulties. The lady, we are told, refused to marry him, unless he "could make her a lady." Accordingly, he purchased the honour of Knighthood, and gave her in exchange for an easy competence, a ruined character and an empty title. The name of the lady to whom he united himself, as well as the tale of their married life, remain unrecorded. Whether Etherege squandered her wealth, or whether he was disappointed in obtaining possession of it, it is certain that, not long afterwards, his necessities compelled him to exile himself from his native country. Through the influence of the Duchess of York, he obtained the appointment of Minister at Ratisbon. According to Oldys, the wits, alluding to the well-known irregularities of his past life, observed humorously, that he was sent Ambassador to Rot-his-bones.*

There are extant two letters, addressed by him, during his residence at Ratisbon, to George Villiers, the witty Duke of Buckingham, which not only abound with humour, but go far to illustrate the character of the libertine poet. The following extract is from a letter dated Ratisbon, 2nd October, 1689.† After reminding his Grace of the former incidents in their London life-of suppers spent in the society of Dorset and Sedley, and the smiles of past beauties,-Etherege thus proceeds: "I have been long enough in this town, one would think, to have made acquaintance enough with persons of both

* Oldys' MS. notes to Langbaine.

As the Duke died considerably before this period, either the date must be a mistake, or the communication between Ratisbon and London must have been anything but rapid.

sexes, so as never to be at a loss how to pass the few vacant hours I can allow myself. But the terrible drinking that accompanies all our visits, hinders me from conversing with the men so often as I would otherwise do; and the German ladies are so intolerably reserved and virtuous, (with tears in my eyes I speak it to your Grace,) that it is next to an impossibility to carry on an intrigue with them. A man has so many scruples to conquer, and so many difficulties to surmount, before he can promise himself the least success, that for my part I have given over all pursuits of this nature: besides, so universal a spirit of censoriousness reigns in this town, that a man and woman cannot be seen at ombre or piquet together, but it is immediately concluded some other game has been played between them; and as this renders all manner of access to the ladies almost impracticable, for fear of exposing their reputation to the mercy of their ill-natured neighbours, so it makes an innocent piece of gallantry often pass for a criminal correspondence.

"So that to deal freely with your Grace, among so many noble and wealthy families as we have in this town, I can only pretend to be truly acquainted with one: the gentleman's name was Monsieur Hoffman, a frank, hearty, jolly companion; his father, one of the most eminent wine merchants of the city, left him a considerable fortune, which he improved by marrying a French jeweller's daughter, of Lyons. To give you his character in short, he was a sensible ingenious man, and had none of his country's vices, which I impute to his having travelled abroad and seen Italy, France, and England. His lady is a most accomplished, ingenious person, and notwithstanding she is come into a place where so much formality and stiffness are practised, keeps up all the vivacity and air, and good humour of France.

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