124 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



was held responsible for the debt. The "coaching" establishment 

 had to be sold, and for the rest of his life Maturin, like Scott and 

 Balzac, had to write to pay debts. 



Needless to say he had already married. At the age of twenty, ~ 

 while still a student, he had persuaded Henrietta Kingsbury, sister 

 of the Dean of Killala, to share his lot. She was a beautiful and 

 talented woman and, in spite of the frequent lack of funds in the 

 household, had never any cause to repent that she had married in 

 haste. 



Maturin began his literary career as a novelist and, foreseeing 

 the difficulties that would inevitably arise if he tried to combine the 

 careers of curate and teller of tales, he produced his early work under 

 an assumed name. Later, he turned with some success to the stage, 

 then gave up dramatic work to write his best novels. 



His life was one long struggle with poverty, not merely by reason 

 of the debt he had incurred, but also because he spent his money 

 unwisely. Fond of dancing and proud of his skill he gave quadrille 

 parties that were famous in Dublin. His beautiful wife was always 

 well dressed and he also, when not actually in the throes of novel- 

 writing, was careful of his personal appearance. 



As a preacher he was popular, and his sermons on the "Errors of 

 Romanism" drew large congregations. His religious convictions 

 influenced his novel Melmoth,^ and his strong nationalism is evident 

 in the Wild Irish Boy,'' and in the Milesian Chief. ^ 



He appears to have been a wide reader — including Monk Lewis 

 and Mrs. Radcliffe among his favourite authors. Pope, Crabbe, 

 Scott and Moore appealed to him. Byron, though appreciated as a 

 friend, did not find favour as a poet. 



After his death all his papers were destroyed by his son William. 

 Dion Boucicault, the elder, while on a visit to Dublin, congratulated 

 the city on having produced two great playwrights — Sheridan and 

 Maturin. The dutiful William did not like to have his father's 

 name connected with the stage, so he proceeded to destroy the evidence 

 — chiefly in the form of unpublished MSS. and correspondence. How 

 the destruction of letters from Balzac and Goethe served any useful 

 purpose is not evident, but the holocaust satisfied William, and left 

 posterity with but meagre knowledge of a charming personality.^ 



^Melmoth, the Wanderer. 4 Vols. 12". Edinburgh and London, 1820. 

 'Svols. 120. 1808. 

 H vols. 12". London, 1812. 



^The author has drawn freely from the biographical material collected for the 

 reprint of Melmoth. London (Bentley). 3 vols. 1892. 



