The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-10-05
"REBECCA OF IVANHOE."
Washington Irving's First and Only
Love.

An Eastern paper has the follollowing:
The Chronicle recently printed the fol-
lowing vagrant item under the personal
head:
I" Mrs. Grundy says that the original
of Sir Walter Scott's Rebecca, in the
novel of "Ivanhoe," was Philadelphia
Jewess, whose picture Washington Ir-
wing showed to Scott
This publication has called from a
well-informed correspondent some inter
estlng particulars of the part taken by
Irving in supplying Scott with this in
se.ontine literary picture from real life,
including the American authors early
love disappointment, and the mutual
VOWS ct celibacy taken by himself and
the lady who loved but was not permit
ted to wed him, and was reproduced in
Seott's charming character of Rebbeca
Our correspondent has his information
from relative of the lady in question,
ard the already known facts leave but
little room to donbt that these freshly
published details are substantially cor
rect. The story, as our correspondent
relates it, is as follows:
Washington Irving, in early life, be-
came acquainted with q very intelligent
ld beautiful Jewess in Philadelphia by
the name of Rebecca Gratz This ac-
quaintance ripened into love, in which
both shared, and Irving proposed mar,
riage, and was accepted on the condition
that the parents of the lady would con-
sent to the union of their daughter with
q GENTLE. The Hebrew religion for
bade such marriage, and though the
parents esteemed the suitor highly,
they could not bring their minds to con-
sent to violation of SO sacred q regu-
lation of their faith. The attachment
was SO strong between the lady and r.
wing that nothing but their elevated
sense of duty of child to parental au-
thority kept them from we edding. They
resolved, however, that in sentiment
they would remain true to each other
through life and never we'd.
1t was during this state of their re-
lations that Irving made his first visit to
Sir Walter Scott. The latter had al
ready made for himself an undying rep
utation rs an author, and the former,
with his literary productions, had attract
ed the attention of the ''Wizard of iL5
| North, +" who was at that time incubating
in his mind that wonderful story of
''lvanhoe." Personal intercourse with
Irving SO won upon SCOTS confidence
that he sketched to him the plan of the
story, confessing, at the same time, that
| he felt the need of a heroine other than
| Rowena. lrving's heart and head
were full of his romantic love forRebecca
Gratz, and he modestly proffered to fur
nish Scott with heroine many of the
incidents connected with whom should
be drawn from real life. The offer was
accepted, and Irving's Rebecca, mu
tually pledged with him to unwedded
earthly fidelity, stood as the model of
the immortal Rebecca of sIyanhoe."
Scott. of course, adapted it to the ex-
igeneies of his story, but the great deal
as furnished by Irving was unchanged.
! 1t is known to every one that Irving
never was married, and these who were
intimate with him knew also, or believed
that the cause of it was an early attach
ment, about which o cloud of mystery
hung, rendering him insensible to the
Establishments and charms of other wo-
men, by whom he was highly esteemed
and in the breasts of some it was sup
posed a warmer sentiment existed
Rebecca Gratz, gentle and loving, with
heart and hand ever open to suffering
and sorrow, remained true to her plight
ed faith. and and, like Irving, died unweded.