211 BROOKE Among his tenahts and humble friends, he was the benevolent and generous cháracter he had been accus- tomed to depict in his works; and it may be truly said, whilst he had the means he relieved the poor, comforted the afflicted, converted the weak, and literally went about doing good. CHARLOTTE BROOKE WAs daughter of the above, and was one of the brightest literary ornaments of her country. It is to be regretted of a lady so celebrated, so little is known. Her first publica- tion was a translation of a Song, and Monody by Carolan, in "Walker's Irish Bards;" to neither of these translations did she affix her name. Her translation of the Monody is thus prefaced by Walker:"For the benefit of the English reader, I shall here give an elegant Paraphirase of this Monody by a young lady, whose name I am enjoined to conceal-with the modesty ever attendant on trae merit, and with the sweet timidity natural to her sex, she shrinks from the public eye." She was, however, at length pre- vailed on by Mr. Walker, and others of herliterary friends, to conquer ber timidity, and to engage in a work for which she seemed admirably calculated. Accordingly, in the year 1787, she undertook a translation of such productions of merit of the ancient and modern Irish Bards, as she could collect amongst her friends, and in the year follow- ing appeared her " Reliques of Irish Poetry; a work universally and justly admired, as affording gratification, both to the antiquary and lover of poesy. In the year 1791, she once more presented herself before the publie eye, as in the early part of that yeat, she pub- lished " The School for Christians, in Dialogues, for the use of Children." In the preface to this little work, she informs us, that "her only object in this publication is, the happiness of seeing it become useful to her species, and the pleasure of bestowing the profits of the book on
Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 1.djvu/222
This page needs to be proofread.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Biographia_Hibernica_volume_1.djvu/page222-1024px-Biographia_Hibernica_volume_1.djvu.jpg)