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From the portrait painted by R. Sisson for Edmund Burke now in the possession of William Webb Shackleton, Esq., M.D., Bushey, Herts.

Sisson1, to whom he so often refers, was then a young artist. He gained reputation as a portrait painter, and his name is found in the catalogue of the Society of Artists in Ireland as exhibiting three portraits in oil at the first exhibition of paintings held in Ireland, on 12th February, 17653.

Burke did not forget Sisson in later times. Mrs Leadbeater writes 3:

Edmund brought a painter with him at one time, Richard Sisson, a man of talent, and prevailed on my dear Father to sit for his picture; he consented, though it was against his judgment, as not consonant to the practice of our Society. Probably for this reason an expression of uneasiness appears on the portrait, although it is otherwise a good likeness. The portrait of his old master, Abraham Shackleton, was also longed for by his illustrious pupil, but he durst not request it.

The Speaker who had commissioned Sisson to paint him and his family was Henry Boyle who was Speaker of the Irish House of Commons from 4th October, 1743, to 26th April, 1756, when he was created Earl of Shannon.

He was for a long time (Lecky writes) one of the most considerable men of the Kingdom. He had sat in Parliament for forty years, and was treated with great deference by Chesterfield, Devonshire, and Harrington, and was connected with some of the chief governing families in Ireland. He possessed much borough interest, and no small amount of parliamentary talent.

The story of his struggle for power with Stone the Primate which had important constitutional consequences in the history of the Irish Parliament-in creating for the first time a serious parliamentary opposition, and bringing forward the constitutional contest between the Crown and the British ministry, and the Irish Parliament, in reference to the appropriation of surplus Irish revenue, is told by Lecky and Froude5.

1 Cp. Strickland, A Dictionary of Irish Artists, Mansell and Co., Dublin, 1912. "Richard Sisson (d. 1767) belonged to a Dublin family that had a linen manufactory at Lucan. He was a schoolfellow of Edmund Burke at Ballitore (?), and had been apprenticed to Francis Bindon, the portrait painter. In Paris he and Burke lived together for some time. He painted a miniature of Burke. He died in 1767 leaving a widow and son in poor circumstances. Burke provided for the son." 2 See the catalogue in Gilbert's History of Dublin, vol. III, p. 365. Leadbeater Papers, vol. I, p. 49.

• Sisson's portrait of Richard Shackleton is now in the possession of Dr W. W. Shackleton of Bushey, Hertfordshire.

5 See Lecky, History of Ireland, vol. 1, chap. 11. Also Froude, The English in Ireland, vol. 1, chap. IV and vol. II, chap. I. Litton Falkiner, Essays Relating to Ireland, Archbishop Stone.

E. Burke to R. Shackleton.

Dublin. 1obr. 5th 1746.

The fate of mankind, and mine in particular, is so uncertain, that I can hardly depend upon anything. I flattered myself, nay, I was certain that I should have the pleasure of spending this Christmas with you, which hope was grounded on an assertion of my father's that I should not live in the College1; but he since changed his mind, and as the foundation begins to fail, we must suppose the superstructure will tumble of course; so that I am under some difficulties under that head. If I come at all, I may stay three weeks. Brennan will be so far from hindering it that he may stay as long as he pleases, but I cannot. I believe you will not have many books from me, if you limit them to what new ones come out that I approve. Believe me, dear Dick, we are just on the verge of darkness, and one push drives us in. We shall all live, if we live long, to see the prophesy of the Dunciad fulfilled, and the age of ignorance come round once more, Redeunt Saturnia regna,

Magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo.

Is there no one to relieve the world from the curse of obscurity? No, not one! I would therefore advise more to your reading the writings of those who have gone before us than our contemporaries. I read for my College course Tully's Offices, a blameless piece. I got yesterday Waller, whom I never read before, nor did you, I believe; for it would be needless to tell you if you had, that he is one of the most charming poets of England. 'Tis surprizing how so much softness and so much grandeur could dwell in one soul; his panegyricks2 are wonderfully fine. His chief excellence lies, I think, in making apparent defects of persons become their greatest praise, and that in a manner quite new. All his thoughts by the surprize they give us seem to have something epigrammatical in them, and in many places he is guilty in that respect; but that proceeds from their being expressed in the strongest and most concise manner, and so formed that his thoughts are not interwoven so as to form a continued discourse, but each is by itself, and strikes you full alone. Take for example those lines on the King's Navy. What shall I say now? As I put my hand to my pocket to look for the book I found I left it at home, (for I am now at the office) but I will make it up in my next. This has struck me so blank, that I can say no more than that I am dear Shackleton,

Yours affectionately,

ED. BURKE.

1 The earliest Register of Chambers in the Records of Trinity College does not begin till 1780. There is a tradition that Burke's rooms were in No. 28 in the Library Square. The building was demolished in 1900 to make room for the Graduates Memorial Building.

2 See Shackleton's letter to Dennis in August, 1747, quoted by Prior, p. 25, referring to Burke's Ode to John Damer Esq.: "It is needless to tell thee Dennis, for I wont say it to Burke, that I take Damer to be the best panegyric I ever read except Waller's who chiefly excels in that." See ante p. 54.

I can't forbear laughing when I think how you will be baulked when you come to the quotation-how you'll put your mouth in form, and begin in a lofty theatrical tone to read, "What shall I say?"-and how as a strutting hectoring fellow, that by chance treads a snake, you will draw back your foot or mouth like him, when he finds one confront him with equal looks or superior.

Dr Richard,

E. Burke to Richard Shackleton and Richard Burke1.

Dublin. Nov. 29th. 1746.

Bawn went so suddenly out of town that I had not time to send my answers to the letters I received by him, you will therefore excuse me for not answering that or the one I received before from you until now. The Cyrus I sent you is my own, it is the very best Edition as I have since discovered. You may use it as long as you please. I believe one will serve both you and Dick, however I kept your half guinea to buy you Xenophon's Memorables (sic) or any other book you will be pleased to send for. You tell me you meet some difficulties in the Cyropedia. If I can, I will clear them up myself, if not I will get somebody else to do it, but you don't tell me how you approve the author. I was with Exshaw about the books. He has not yet imported them, but will very soon. He has not Hubner's Geography, but he has another book wrote by the same author called, I think, A Geographical and Historical Account of All Nations. Bayle's Dictionary was sold the evening before your father spoke to me. You have no great loss in them, for they, as well as all the books which were sold at that auction, sold very dear. So much for all business, and that being dispatched I have very little to say beside, but that as I believe I shan't live in the College this winter, I fancy I shall have the pleasure of seeing you at Ballitore this Xmas. I have spoke to Brennan and he says he will come if I go. As for the character of your dear self, perhaps I shall give it to you some other time, when you have forgot you desired it, and shan't know whom it means. I have, I know not how, got into the trade of character drawing2, and got by it the ill will of one of my acquaintance, who is not thoroughly reconciled to me since. The rest of what I write here is for Dick. I intend it to save each of you expense 'twill be but four pence apiece.

Mr Philosopher and Knight of the Woful Countenance, for I think that famous hero whom you personate was like you a great philosopher, tam marti quam in mercurio, I can't but take notice of the pitiful case of your beard which you have mauled so in your passion, indeed it looked humurous (sic) enough at first, but we have seen it so often that it nauseates. I would therefore recommend to you for the future rather to nourish your wisdom

1 From the original letter in possession of Dr ffennell.

2 See Payne's Introduction to Burke's Select Works, vol. 1, xliii. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1816. "Burke employed with great effect the device, so fashionable in literary works of the age which immediately preceded him, of diversifying his writings by the introduction of what were called 'characters.' The characters of Grenville, Charles Townshend, of the Chatham Ministry, and of the American Colonists, are specimens, so also Walpole, Montesquieu, Fox, Saville, Howard and others."

than beard, for if the latter makes so great a progress as it has for some time past, it will soon outgrow the other to a surprising degree. I am glad to see you are going into Juvenal, you shall have it when Bawn comes next to town. You have now learned so much that I fancy you will for the time to come be able to get something from what you read more than bare words, therefore, if Dicky thinks proper, I should be glad you would read Xenophon, I don't know any book fitter for boys who are beginning to comprehend what they read. When you come next to town you won't find us in the old house, for my father has taken another on Lower Ormond Quay, to which with God's help, we'll remove before Xmas1.

Now I talk of houses I had a narrow escape last great storm as I sat in a shop under Dick's Coffee House, the back house which joined it fell and buried Pue, the Coffee House keeper, in its ruins and his wife, but, by the most wonderful Providence, they were dug out alive and unhurt. The same day an accident happened me, indeed more humurous than the former, for as I was joking in the street with a friend my hat and wig were blown off, which while he pursued for a long way, to the infinite diversion of the spectators, my coat too was blown off and I was left quite bare. I am in haste and can no more but that I am your most affect. Brother

E. Burke to R. Shackleton.

EDMD. BURKE.

Dublin, December 11th, 1746.

Dear Dick, Bawn was with me just now. I shall take care to obey your commands by him. Your man disappointed me the last time he was in town, for I had not your letter till near nine at night. I had the Blackball2 ready for him at two next day; but he was gone. You won't be displeased that I laid out some of your money on the books you have per bearer. I found 'em (as I thought) sold cheap at an auction, and as I thought they might be useful to you I bought 'em. Voiture's3 character is, I believe, known to you for one of the finest geniuses France ever produced and a pattern for that way of writing; price is. 7d. The other I bought on the credit of the great man of whom it treats, price 5s. 6d.

I have seen your dear friend Cullen at the coffee-house pretty often. I knew him perfectly, but not as yet condescended to speak to him; he is grown a great count. I shall let you know the day I shall meet you, which will be I fancy sometime before the holidays. My father will go your way in about a week-next Thursday or Friday, I think. In my first letter I did

1 No. 3, Lower Ormond Quay, where his father resided until his death. 2 Blacklock, see post p. 126.

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3 Voiture, 1598-1648, his letters were published after his death and achieved a great reputation. He was "the idol of the Hôtel Rambouillet." Aujourd'hui lorsqu'on veut ressaisir en lui l'écrivain ou le poète, on a besoin d'un effort, pour être juste, pour ne pas lui appliquer notre propre goût, nos propres idées d'agrément, et pour remettre en jeu et dans leur à-propos ces choses légères."

"On a comparé Voiture et de son temps, et depuis, à bien des écrivains et de poètes célèbres, à Horace, à Catulle, à Lucien, à Voltaire, à Delille, à d'autres encore." Sainte-Beuve, Causeries de Lundi, XII, p. 193.

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