New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-13
STUDIES IN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
BY oHuARLEs T. coSGDoN.
RICHARD CUMBERLAND.

RICHARD CUMBERLAND
Tho ,lovq of 9tbe Terence of England, the
frender of hearts, as Goldsmith, with even Ino'o
than his usual exquisite felicity. called hlh nave
nearly If not entirely disappeared nom VIC s'"7e
aThn wesf Indian and The Wheel of Fortune
-. :. -. ,ot have not seen these fine old
Fncl,sb nlovs announced by any manager Tor
1ong time dear as they were TO our theatre-gong
c,ondmotbers The fate of Cumberland proves
how evanescent is the character Of most dramatic
fame He himself said. though with questionable
ACCURACY. that no English author had equaled him
in dramatic fecundity. He certainly did produce
thirty -four regular plays with four operas and a
farce Yet the next age Will know him mainly
through Goldsmiths portrait of him III Retalia
ton" aud the tradition that he was the original OF
Sir FTetfGi PiGgGTy in SheIldaus farce " Inc
Critic" After many disappontments some OF
them political and some of them p0etica but more
of them purely personal, he began IN lSo4' at the
age of seventy-two years. to write his Memoirs"
He had been a good observer of men and manners
and he had an excellent opinion of hnseH and OF
his own productions All this fitting him to be
GOOD autobographer he has given us book which
Is entertaining, while his remlniscenccs OF the
authors actors and OthcI notable men OF his tlne IL
taken with some alio vance in few instances Tor
his prejudice and irTitabilIty, are valuable as well
as amusing. He evidently tries hard to be aInlable
and usually he succeeds There is much in the book
which could interest no mortal save the author
there IS much which, in sef-decuce, the reader Will
resolutcy refuse to read but there is also not
little given in good English Estylc, which VIII
amply repay pcrusal.
Richard Cumberland was born in 17'|2, IN the
Masters Lodge of Trinity College Cambridge lie
was the grcat-grandsou of one bishop and the son
of another while his mother was the daughter
of Dr. Richard Bentley. the greatest OF EhghSn
classical scholars. Cumberland INSISTS agaihSt inc
current of tradition, that the Doctor was All amiaOe
man being naithcr OvcTbcarne nor cynical except
il NAV be suggested, in his slaShing classical con-
troversies Our author inserts this pretty anecdote
of his grandfather: Once, and only once, recol-
lect his giving me n gentle rchuke TOT making
most outrageous noise IN the over his library
and disturbing his studies had no apprehension
of anger from him. and confidently answered that ]
conld not help it, as had been at hattlcdore and
shuttlecock with Master Gooch the Bishop of Elys
son And | have been at this sport with his
father; but thine has been the more amusing ga ne.
so there's no harm done" The Bishop was Vlsltor
of Trinity College and Bentleys long quarrel with
him was respecting the administration OF the rove
nue. of that institution. Born in such learned
place and with such learned ancestors, Cumber-
land should have taken kindly TO books, but he
evinced. as ho saws stubborn repugnance to all
against all the powers of the alphabet have
traces he narrates of my sensations at this period
still i'm my mind and perfectly rccoect the revolt
received from reading of the heathen idols de-
scribed in the 10th Psalm, as having eyes and not
seeing ears and not hearing. with other contTaIll-
ties which between positive and negative so com
pletey ovcrsct my small stock OF ideas that ansO-
lutely stood fast upon the halt, dumb and lnSen-
sible to instruction as the images IN question" Al
Bury St Edmunds school Cumberland was ldIe
and careless. until Kinsman. the master, asked
him sternly: What report am to make of you to
your grandfather. Benteyp The boy shuddcrcd
nj the name and went to work with commcndabie
diligence Like other lads nc betook himself To
writing poetry and produced piece descriptive OF
the dock yards at Portsmouth OF which pIouhc-
ton, years after, the old man laughlngy recalled
this couplet Here they weave cables there they
mainmasts form, Here they forge anchors useful
in n Storm This instance OF the art OF sinking,
Cumberlands mother frequently quoted upon
him; but my father" he says stOntly stood by
nv anchors contending that they were unqneS-
tionably useful in a storm, had said no more of
them than was true, and why should be ashamed
of having spoken the truth P As Cumberland read
Shakespeare with his mother, his poetry probably
improved and hc also began to try his strength III
several slight attempts toward the drama AI
Westminster School, TO which hc was soon trans
fcrred the usher in the fifth form was Vincent
Bourne whose elegant Latin verses we're so Gle
gantly and adequately translated by Cowpcr. In
his four ccnth year Cumberland went to TRINITY
College Cambridge. lie was elected to fellow
ship in the second year of his degree, and gives
very interesting account of his examination for
that honor lie also became secretary to the Earl
of Halifax. and saw many distinguished public
characters. and among them lubb Doddington
lord MclcOmb Regis who was one OF the most
unscrupuCus and the most succrssfl politicians OF
his time OF the passion Of this vulgar person Tor
pretentious display We have III Cnnbcr!ahus DOCK
perhaps the best account which has come down 10
us In his villa you were conducted" we are toid'
g through two rows of antique marble statues
ranged in a gallery ioored with the rarest marbles,
md enriched with columns Of granite and laps
lazuli his saloon was hung with the finest GObelin
tapestry, and he slept in bed canOpiel with pea
cccks feathers in the style of Mrs. Montague" All
accounts concur in describing Doddingtons dress
ing as u.agnifcently absurd When he PAID his
court" says Cumberland, " at ST. James's to the
present Queen upon her nuptias. he approached TO
Iiss her hand decked in an embroidered suit of silk
VIII lilac vo,stcoat and breeches." lie a cor
pulent man and went about displaying "a vast
expansion OF brocade and embroidery. with an
enormous tyc-wig and deep laced rufics." lie Is
cleyerly described by Cumberland as " a man of
humble birth, with an inmate respect for titles"
When Cumberland took his leave of Hnbb Dodding-
ton the day preceding the coronation of George
Ill, he found that corpulent person "before
looking glass. in his robes practising attitudes
and debating within himself upon the most grace
full mode of carrying his coronet in the procession"
When Cumberland was in Dublin secretary of |
the Lord Lieutenant, he met George Faulkner,
that NEST remarkable printer. the half humble
friend ana Publisher of Dean Swift. and of The
Dublin Journal. Georges dinners he describes as
excellent albeit the company rather inscella-
neous Il sate" says Cumberland, ~once from
dinner until two in the morning. whilst George swal
lowed immense rotations with one solitary sodden
L.. IL. -