His fond and faithful wife lived not to see
the dimming of the genius that produced these classics; she died of a
decline, at Bristol, in 1792. Her daughter, too, died within the same
year. Two of her accomplished descendants, through her son, have
displayed some of her romantic taste and charm of manner to a
generation just preceding our own,--her granddaughters, Lady Dufferin,
mother of the English ambassador to France, and Hon. Caroline Norton,
author of "Love not, love not, ye hapless sons of men."
Though she whom he had adored was but three years dead, Sheridan
married, in 1795, Esther Jane Ogle, daughter of the Dean of
Winchester. With her he obtained some money and this, added to his
own, purchased the estate of Polesdon, in Surrey. His wife was, at
that time, spoken of as young, amiable, and devoted to him. She died
at about the same time as he, in 1816.
In the first flush of those romantic wedded days of their youth how
impressive must have been the appearance of that markedly clever young
man, eager in the fight for fame, and of his beauteous bride from
Bath. Reynolds painted, in 1779, the standard presentment of Sheridan.
Walpole's comment on it was: "Praise cannot overstate the merits of
this portrait. It is not canvas and color, it is animated nature--all
the unaffected manner and character of the great original." The artist
said that among all his sitters none had such large pupils of the
eyes.
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