SHE 



SHE 



fcftntributed more than any other perfon towards illuftratiiig 

 the Rufiian annals. This learned nobleman is editor of 

 " A Journal of Peter the Great," in 2 vols. 4to., which 

 he found in the archives, and publiflied by order of the 

 emprefs ; of " The Ruflian Hiftory, by an ancient Annalift, 

 from the Beginning of the Reign of Vladimir Monomaca 

 in 1 1 14 to 147Z ;" "The Life of Peter the Groat," in 

 the Ruffian language, firft publirtied at Venice, which the 

 prince reprinted in 1774, and, according to his ufual cuf- 

 tom, enriched with many hiftorical obfervations. Of his 

 Hiitory, already referred to, our author fays, " I have 

 read the German tranflation of this performance, which ap- 

 pears to me a molt valuable addition to the hiitory of the 

 North. The author has had accefs to the imperial ar- 

 chives ; he draws his information from the molt ancient and 

 unqueftionable fources, is particularly exatt in quoting his 

 authorities, and ranges the events in a chronological Icries 

 with great perfpicuity." Coxe's Travels, vol. iii. 



SHE RET, in Geography, a town of Afiatic Turkey, 

 in the government of Trebifond ; 30 miles S.W. of Trc- 

 bifond. 



SHEREZUR, or SherzouRj or Scherezur, a town 

 of Curdillan, the capital of a government, and refidence of 

 a Turkifh pacha; 150 miles N. of Bagdad. N. lat. 35° 

 46'. E. long. 44° 25'. 



SHERIBON. See Cheribon. 



SHERIDAN, Thomas, in Biography, was bom pro- 

 bably about the year 1684, in the county of Cavan, where 

 his parents lived in luch a Itate of indigence, as not to be 

 able to afford him the advantages of a liberal education ; 

 but being obferved to give early indications of genius, he 

 attrafted the notice of a friend to his family, who fent him 

 to the college of Dublin, and contributed towards his fup- 

 port, while he remained there. Afterwards he proceeded 

 to a doftor's degree, and took orders, and fet up a fchool 

 in Dublin, which long maintahied a very high degree of re- 

 putation, as well for the attention beftowed on the morals 

 of the fcholars, as for their proficiency in literature. He 

 does not appear to have had any confiderable preferment ; 

 but his intimacy with Swift procured for him, in 1725, a 

 living in the fouth of Ireland, worth about 150/. per annum, 

 ■which he went to take poliefiion of; and, by an aft of in- 

 advertence, it is laid, dellroyed all his future expeftations 

 of rifing in the church: for being at Cork on the ill of 

 Augult, the annivcrfary of the king's birth-day, he preached 

 fram the text " Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." 

 The report of the faft was fpread abroad : he was llruck 

 out of the lilt of chaplains to the lord-lieutenant, and for- 

 bidden the calUe. He afterwards changed his living for 

 that of Dunboyne, which by the knavery of the farmers, 

 and power of the gentlemen in the neighbourhood, lell in 

 value to 80/. per annum. He willingly refigned it for the 

 free-fchool of Cavan, where lie might have lived well ; but 

 the air being raoill, and as he thought unhealthy, and being 

 difgulted with fonie of his parilhioners, he fold the fchool 

 for about 400/. ; and having fpent the money, he fell into 

 ill health, and died September loth, 1758, in the 55th 

 year of his age. He is thus charafterized by lord Corke : 

 " Dr. Sheridan vi'as a fchoolmaller, and in many inllances 

 perfeftly adapted to that ilation. He was deeply verled in 

 the Greek and Roman languages, and in their culloms and 

 antiquities. He had that kind of good nature, wliich ab- 

 fence of mind, indolence of body, and carelelinels of for- 

 tune, produce ; and though not over-llrift in his own coii- 

 duft, yet he took care of the morals of his fcholars, whom 

 he lent to the univerfity remarkably well grounded in all 

 kinds of clalhcal learning, and not ill inllruftcd in the locial 

 duties of life. He wa« flovenly, indigent, and cheerful. 



Vol. XXXII. 



He knew books much better than men, but he knew the 

 value of money lealt of ;.'.!. In this fituation, and with thi» 

 difpofition. Swift faltened upon him as upon a prey, with 

 wh:-h he intended to regale himfelf, whenever his appetite 

 fhould prompt him." Dr. Sheridan publifhed a profe 

 tranflation of Perfius, to which he added the belt notes of 

 former editors, together with fome very judicious ones of 

 his own. He alfo tranflatcd the Philo6tetes of Sophocles. 



Sheridan, Thomas, fon of the preceding, was born at 

 Quilca, in the county of Cavan, in Ireland ; and he had for 

 his god-father dean Swift. Tlie early part of his education 

 he received from his father, who afterwards fent him to 

 Wellminlter fchool, and at a time when he could very ill 

 afford it. Here, upon examination, he attrafted notice ; 

 and although a mere llranger, he was elefted a king's 

 fcholar, on account of his merit. But their maintenance 

 fometimes running fliort, the doftor was fo poor that he 

 could not add fourteen pounds, to enable his fon to fini(h 

 the year ; which it he had been able to have done, he would 

 have been removed to a higher clafs, and in another year 

 would have been fent off to a fellowlhip at college. Being 

 thus recalled to Dublin, he was fent to the univerfity, where 

 he obtained an exhibition, and in 1738 he took his degree 

 of M.A. Having no interelt in the church, nor tlie means 

 of preparing himfelf for one of the liberal profeffions, he 

 rcfolved to feck a fupport on the itage. He was received 

 with great applaufe, and in a fliort time became manager of 

 the Dublin theatre; in which capacity he fuccefsfuUy un- 

 dertook the curbing of that licentioufnefs, which had long 

 reigned with an almoft unhmited empire behind the fcenes, 

 and the putting a Hop to the liberties daily taken by the 

 young men with the female aftrelles. During eight years 

 Mr. Sheridan polleffed this important office of manager of 

 the Dublin theatre with all the fuccefs, both with refpeft 

 to fame and fortune, that could well be cxpcfted, when an 

 unfortunate circumltance led him to oppofe the wilhes of 

 the public, which obliged him to withdraw from the ma- 

 nagement of the theatre, and even to quit the country. 

 He continued in England till the year 1756, when he re- 

 turned to Dublin, and was again received on the Itage with 

 the iiighelt applaufe ; but he did not continue long in that 

 fituation, being oppofed and ruined by rival adlors. 



In 1757 he publiflied a plan, in which he propofed to 

 the Irilii the eftablifliment of an academy, for the accom- 

 phlhment of youth in every qualification ncceflary for a 

 gentleman. In the formation of this defign he included 

 oratory, as one of the effentials ; and in order to give a 

 tlronger idea of the utility of that art, he opened his plan 

 to the public in fomc orations, which were fo well written, 

 and fo admirably delivered, as to give the higlull proofs of 

 the ability, of the propofer, and his fitnels for the office of 

 fuperiiitendant of fuch an inllitution, for which poll lie had 

 offered himfelf. Neverthclefs, though tiie plan was, in a 

 meafure, carried into execution, Mr. Sheridan was excluded 

 from any fliare in the conduct of it. He now came again 

 to England, and delivered leftures on elocution and oratory 

 in the theatres of Oxford and Cambridge, to very uumeroui 

 audiences, .and with the highell reputation. From thence 

 he again came to London, where he was engaged as an 

 aftor and a letturcr. In 1778 he publiflied "A pro- 

 nouncing Diftionacy of the Englifh Language ;" and after 

 this he became a manager of the Drury-lane theatre, under 

 his fon, the prelent Mr. Sheridan, wlu) was then one of the 

 patentees. He died in Augult, 1788. His works arc at 

 follow: I. " A Diftionary of the Engiilh Language." 

 2. " Leftures on the Art of Reading." 3. " Bntifli 

 Education, or the Source of the Diforders of Great Bri- 

 tain." 4. " A Differtalion on the Caufca of the Difficultic* 

 ^ R w\\Kk 



