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Article MEMOIRS OF THE LATE . DR. PAUL HIFFERNAN. ← Page 4 of 10 →
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Memoirs Of The Late . Dr. Paul Hiffernan.
Talking of this strange publication at that time gave rise to" one " of the last flashes of poor Goldsmith . " How does thispoor devil of anauthor , " says a friend , " contrive to get credit even with his bookseller for paper , print , and advertising ? " " Oh ! my dear sir , " says Goldsmith , " very easily—he steals the brooms ready made . " The next year 1775 Doctor Hiffernan appeared Dramatic
, , as a author , by the introduction of a traged y at Drury-Lane Theatre , under the title of " The Heroine of the Cave . " The history of this niece is as follows : After the death of Henry Jones , the author of the tragedy of the Earl of Essex ( a man superior to Hiffernan in point of genius , but very like him in his want of prudence and discretion ) this piece was found amongst his loose bthe late MrReddishof
papers y . , -Drury-Lane Theatre , who soon after brought it out for his benefit Hiffernan and Reddish living in close habits of intimacy , the latter ' after his benefit , gave it to the Doctor , and suggested to him that he might make something of it by extending the plot , and adding some new characters . ° Hiffernan undertook it , and brought it out the next year for the benefit of Miss
Younge ( now Mrs . Pope ) , . with a new prologue , epilogue , & c . & c . and b y the very excellent and impassioned performance of that capital actress , who played the Heroine , it went off with considerable applause . The title Jones gave to this piece ivas , " The Cave of Idra . " The plot is taken from a narrative in the Annual Registerand had the oriinal author had time and coolness to finish it it
, g - is probable he would have succeeded in making it a respectable tragedy Even m Hiffernan ' s hands the plot and incidents buoyed him up above Ills ordinary thinking , and , if he gave ho graces , he' avoided any great blemishes . '
The Doctor lived upon the profits of this traged y for some time , but as usual , never made a calculation what he -was to do next , till poverty pressed him to do something . After casting about for some time f-md occasionally damning the booksellers for their want of taste in not encouraging learning , and the performers of both Theatres for a dearth of abilities that discouraged author of eminence from
any writing for them ) . he undertook to give a course of lectures on the anatomy of" the human bod y . He instantly published Proposals , which was a guinea for the course to consist of three lectures , and the subscribers not to exceed twenty ' in order to be the better accommodated in a private room . The sub scription ( which was evidentl y given under the impression of charity ) filled bthe exertions of
was soon y " his friends , and the first day iV- > l announced by the Doctor ' s going round to the subscribers him 4 lf to inform them of it . « This method , " said he , " I look upon the best as it prevents any imputation of quacking , by a public advertisement " The room fixed on for this exhibkionwas ' at the Percy coffe- house the hour ' clock in the forenoon At "
one o . this hour the following o-n ' tlemen . assembled ; Dr . Kennedy , physician to the Prince of wth- ~ arid the present Inspector ^ Geueral to the hospitals under the Duk / nf York , Mr . George Garrick , Mr . Becket of Pall-mall , and another VOL . AII ' / y
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Late . Dr. Paul Hiffernan.
Talking of this strange publication at that time gave rise to" one " of the last flashes of poor Goldsmith . " How does thispoor devil of anauthor , " says a friend , " contrive to get credit even with his bookseller for paper , print , and advertising ? " " Oh ! my dear sir , " says Goldsmith , " very easily—he steals the brooms ready made . " The next year 1775 Doctor Hiffernan appeared Dramatic
, , as a author , by the introduction of a traged y at Drury-Lane Theatre , under the title of " The Heroine of the Cave . " The history of this niece is as follows : After the death of Henry Jones , the author of the tragedy of the Earl of Essex ( a man superior to Hiffernan in point of genius , but very like him in his want of prudence and discretion ) this piece was found amongst his loose bthe late MrReddishof
papers y . , -Drury-Lane Theatre , who soon after brought it out for his benefit Hiffernan and Reddish living in close habits of intimacy , the latter ' after his benefit , gave it to the Doctor , and suggested to him that he might make something of it by extending the plot , and adding some new characters . ° Hiffernan undertook it , and brought it out the next year for the benefit of Miss
Younge ( now Mrs . Pope ) , . with a new prologue , epilogue , & c . & c . and b y the very excellent and impassioned performance of that capital actress , who played the Heroine , it went off with considerable applause . The title Jones gave to this piece ivas , " The Cave of Idra . " The plot is taken from a narrative in the Annual Registerand had the oriinal author had time and coolness to finish it it
, g - is probable he would have succeeded in making it a respectable tragedy Even m Hiffernan ' s hands the plot and incidents buoyed him up above Ills ordinary thinking , and , if he gave ho graces , he' avoided any great blemishes . '
The Doctor lived upon the profits of this traged y for some time , but as usual , never made a calculation what he -was to do next , till poverty pressed him to do something . After casting about for some time f-md occasionally damning the booksellers for their want of taste in not encouraging learning , and the performers of both Theatres for a dearth of abilities that discouraged author of eminence from
any writing for them ) . he undertook to give a course of lectures on the anatomy of" the human bod y . He instantly published Proposals , which was a guinea for the course to consist of three lectures , and the subscribers not to exceed twenty ' in order to be the better accommodated in a private room . The sub scription ( which was evidentl y given under the impression of charity ) filled bthe exertions of
was soon y " his friends , and the first day iV- > l announced by the Doctor ' s going round to the subscribers him 4 lf to inform them of it . « This method , " said he , " I look upon the best as it prevents any imputation of quacking , by a public advertisement " The room fixed on for this exhibkionwas ' at the Percy coffe- house the hour ' clock in the forenoon At "
one o . this hour the following o-n ' tlemen . assembled ; Dr . Kennedy , physician to the Prince of wth- ~ arid the present Inspector ^ Geueral to the hospitals under the Duk / nf York , Mr . George Garrick , Mr . Becket of Pall-mall , and another VOL . AII ' / y