in the man you call your's, a foul congenial to your own! And may you never know, like me, what it is to bestow your hand where it cannot be accompanied with your heart!

G. A, B.

LETTER LV.

February 23, 17—'

Y favourite Sterne, in his Sentimental

MY

MJourney, when he fet out in order to

wait upon the French minifter at Versailles, and went to the Count de B's, exclaims, "I think there is a fatality in it.—I seldom "go

go to the place I fet out for." I have frequently made a fimilar obfervation (and I think I have hinted fomething of it in a former letter) which is, that our best laid plans are often circumvented. Thus, I fet off for Bristol, agreeable to the account I gave you in my laft, in order to enjoy a few weeks of relaxation from the cares and anxieties I was conftantly a prey to.. But I was not suffered by the invifible agents who make all our moves, to carry my defign into execution. I had no fooner reached the place of my destination, than from unforeseen accidents my recall had outftripped myfelf; my expectations were totally fruftrated; and I was obliged to return to accumulated vexations. -Such difappointments, I know, are ufually

imputed

imputed to accident, and lightly thought of. But I cannot help confidering them as a part of the arrangement of the aforefaid fportive beings, who are either permitted to enjoy the perplexities which they themselves occafion to poor mortals; or else, they are intended as trials of our patience and fubmiffion. Proceed in your ftory, fay you?-E obey.

The next feafon, from an incidental circumftance, was productive of a confiderable addition to my income. Mr. Barry introduced upon the ftage a young lady, who was unhappily partial to him. Upon her being engaged, Mr. Rich requested my permiffion for her to debute in Juliet; which I readily granted. This lady, whofe name was Nofliter, in addition to a genteel figure, had had a liberal education bestowed upon her by the late Lord Cholmondeley, as her mother attended his lordship in the quality of housekeeper.

Barry, who spent his whole income in entertaining his countrymen, upon this occafion brought his Hibernian phalanx to fupport the lady. He likewife fpoke an occafional prologue by way of introduction to her. In this there was introduced a line con-taining the words, and juft her age.

Mrs. Cibber having planted herself in the front. row of the balcony, fo injudicious a ftep attracted the notice of Barry; and when he B 6

came

came to that sentence, he spoke it so pointedly, that it could not fail of hitting the lady over him; who, though now advanced into the vale of years, ftill continued to perform the youthful character of Juliet. The audience likewife felt the juftice of their application. And as they always kindly intereft themselves in the fuccefs of a new performer, fhewed their disapprobation of Mrs. Cibber's imprudence, by beftowing a profufion of aplaufe on the new Juliet.

I had caused it to be ftipulated in my articles, that I was to have a larger falary than any other female performer at that theatre. Mrs. Woffington was prevented by indifpo fition from appearing this winter. And confequently, as Mr. Barry infifted upon having five hundred pounds for his pupil, my salary was raised to five hundred guineas. But what was of much more confequence to me, it procured me a confiderable relaxation from the duties of the ftage, and gave me more time to attend to ferious avocations; particularly to the ftudy of natural philofophy, which I had commenced, upon having the happiness of being introduced to Lady Anfon.

As the concerns of my brother, Lieutenant O'Hara, procured me the honour of an introduction to that lady, I will beg leave, as I have not mentioned his name a long while, to devote a few pages to him. The fhip to

which he belonged being stationed at Gibraltar, of which place Lord Tyrawley was then Governor, he frequently went afhore, and was treated with the respect due to his affinity to the commander of the fortrefs. But his humour one evening overcoming his reafon and duty, he juftly incurred his father's difpleasure. The old veteran having been wounded in almost every part of his body, during the different engagements wherein he had bravely fought, a lameness had enfued. As he was walking up the ballroom, at one of their affemblies, his fon, forgetting the honourable cause of his Lordfhip's limping, hopped after him to excite a laugh from the company; which being obferved by, or told to his Lordship, who gloried in his wounds, he never would forgive a fon that had endeavoured to ridicule those teftimonies of his valour.

Not long after, the fhip being ordered upon fome immediate fervice, and the Captain happening to be on fhore ill, my brother, as firft Lieutenant, took the command. During the cruize he fell in with a ship of much fuperior force, which he bravely fought, notwithstanding the manifeft difad vantage; and having difmafted his adverfary, brought his own fhip off with great fkill. By an action fo brilliant he acquired. great honour; and the affair was much talked of. The Captain in a fhort time dying,

my

my brother made no doubt but he fhould be nominated Commander of a veffel which had been faved by his bravery. But he was disappointed in his expectations. Lord Tyrawley, not being able to forgive the infult he had received from him, he had, with too much rigour, applied to the Admiral upon the occafion, and requested that his fon might not be promoted to the command.

My brother was no fooner informed by the Admiral of his Lordship's application, than he was incenfed greatly both at his father's feverity, and the Admiral's too easy compliance with fo unjuft a request. And in the first tranfports of his rage, he inclofed his commiffion to the Lords of the Admiralty, defiring they would offer it up, with their next facrifice, to the Goddefs Cloacina. It was expected that my brother would have been called to a court-martial for this indig nity. But their Lordships taking into confideration the provocation he had received, and attributing his rudeness to them to the unkind treatment of Lord Tyrawley and the Admiral, they only entered into an official refolution, that he should never be employed in the service more. It was a long while before I could get him reinftated, though I exerted all my intereft for the purpose; and it impeded his being made a poft captain for years.

In the profecution of my brother's reinfatement, I applied to the late honourable

Mr.