JAMES MUSPRATT 75 



during this period of leisure into the society 

 of authors and actors. A young man, about 

 twenty-one, of a romantic and adventurous 

 turn such as he had shown himself to be, 

 would be filled with enthusiastic admiration 

 of that star of unusual brilliancy which at 

 that time attracted great attention in the 

 dramatic world. 



In the year 1791, at Drogheda, was born 

 Eliza O'Neill. Her father was an indigent 

 stage manager and actor. The pretty little 

 child might often be seen running about the 

 streets of the dirty town, barefooted. She 

 was compelled before she reached her teens 

 to appear upon the stage with her father, and 

 when she was but twelve years of age she 

 drew large houses, attracted by the charms of 

 her acting. She was only a girl when she 

 played the part of "Juliet," in Dublin, which 

 excited the greatest enthusiasm, and by the 

 time she was one and twenty, she inspired 

 the line of a prologue 



"Then fair O'Neill ranks first on Britain's stage." 



Lord William Lennox wrote: "She was 

 loveliness personified; her voice was the 

 perfection of melody; her manner graceful, 



