Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/346

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342 JOHNSTON. pole's “Castle of Otranto,” and few tragedies in our times have been more successful. It was produced in 1781, and continued to be acted until the death of Mr. Henderson, the principal performer. Of Mr. Jephson's other dramas it may be sufficient to give the names:—“The Law of Lombardy,” a tragedy, 1779; “The Hotel,” a farce, 1783; “The Campaign,” an opera, 1785; “Julia,” a tragedy, 1787; “Love and War,” and “Two Strings to your Bow,” 1792, both farces; and “The Conspiracy,” a tragedy. Mr. Jephson afterwards acquired a considerable share of poeti cal fame, by his “Roman Portraits,” a quarto poem, or rather collection of poems, characteristic of the Roman heroes, published in 1794, which exhibited much taste and elegance of versification. About the same time he pub shed, anonymously, “The Confessions of Jean Baptiste Couteau,” 2 vols. 12mo, a satire on the perpetrators of the revolutionary atrocities in France, particularly on the wretched Duke of Orleans. CHARLES JOHNSTON, or JOHNSON, Author of the celebrated novel, “ Chrysal; o r , the Adventures o f a Guinea,” was born about the year 1719, a t Carrigogunnell, i n the county o f Limerick, and was descended from a branch of the Johnstons of Annandale. He was educated a t Trinity College; was called t o the bar, and came over t o England for practice i n that profes sion; but deafness preventing him from attending the courts, h e confined himself t o the employment o f a cham ber counsel. His success i n the arduous profession o f the law, not being s o great a s h e expected, h e was obliged t o have recourse t o his pen, and produced, i n 1760, the two first volumes o f “Chrysal,” which sold with such rapidity, that i n 1765, h e was induced t o add two more volumes, not inferior t o the former, either i n merit o r success. I n 1782, having some prospect o f bettering his fortunes i n India, h e embarked for Bengal with Captain Mears, i n the Brilliant, which was wrecked off Johanna, a n island situated