Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/84

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80 DERMODY. the book, and being satisfied that he understood i t , h e invited him down t o dine i n his cellar, which invitation Dermody accepted. They dined together with mutual satisfaction, and Dermody acceded t o a proposal which his friend made, for teaching his son Latin. He, however, soon grew tired o f his academic appointment i n the cel lar, and was recommended t o another dealer i n books, who kept a little second-hand shop i n Stephen-street, and who took him i n the capacity o f shop-boy. With this man, whose name was Lynch, h e remained but a short time, and soon after acquired the patronage o f Doctor Houlton, who observed him i n some book-shop i n Dublin, reading Longinus, i n the original Greek, i n whose house h e resided about ten weeks, giving astonishing proofs o f his knowledge o f the Greek and Roman classics, and pro ducing poetical translations a d aperturam libri. This gen tleman, when obliged himself t o leave Dublin, gave him some money, which h e soon spent, and wandered through the streets b y day, and begged the meanest shelter during the night. I n his morning rambles h e often called o n a man o f the name o f Coyle, who resided i n Dorset-street, and who was b y profession a scene painter; t o him h e told the whole o f his story, and lived with him for a short time, i n a state o f familiar servitude, going o n messages for him, warming his size-pots a t the theatre, telling merry tales, and writing verses o n the walls with chalk; a l l o f which h e did with the greatest good-will and apathy ima ginable. By Coyle h e was introduced t o the players, who laudably made several attempts t o place him i n a situation where h e might prosecute his studies; h e was introduced t o Dr. Young, afterwards Bishop o f Clonfert, and the Rev. Gilbert Austin", who selected and printed a t his own expense, a volume o f his poems, and the mo ney produced thereby, together with a small subscription entered into b y his friends, enabled them t o place him a s

Author o f a quarto volume, entitled, “ Chironomia; or, a Treatise o n Rhetorical Delivery.”