1803.] 
fay, ufually) lighted. up by a fmile, which, 
at the fame time that it betrayed no vacancy 
of thought, no want of aétivity, indicated 
contentment and benigaity. In the forrows 
and the joys of thofe, whom friendfhip had 
endeared to her, her heart deeply. partici- 
pated, In the dawn of exiftence fhe, was 
gratified by the fociety and inftruétion of the 
oid: in the evening of-her days, fhe’ con- 
templated with intereft and a vivid fatisfac- 
tion the gaiety and the amufements of the 
young. Morofenefs and lownefs of fpirits, 
though often the attendants are not the na-° 
tural concomitants of advanced years, but 
are commonly therefult of mifmanagement, 
of unfeafonable purfuits, and of intemperate 
_ defires, Upon her, indeed, time, frequently 
as he had vifited her with the pains and the 
confinement of difeafe, and material as was 
the alteration which he had inevitably - pro- 
duced in her, had fcarcely exerted what may 
be entitled his. icy influence. Often did the 
move- with. the agility of a young woman. 
She talked with .vivacity, fhe loved with 
ardor; and fhe purfued the objects to which 
fhe thought it her duty to attend with a ju-. 
venile eagernefs,’. Then. it is, that a pro- 
tracted life is truly defirable, when, asin her 
cafe, cenfcience is tranquil, and felf-recol-- 
lection is pleafurable ; when the limbs are 
ufually active, and the animal fpirits flow 
_ freely and copioufly. A folicitude to perform 
the whole of her duty, an animated and: in- 
delible gratitude for any favours received, an 
anxiety to give fatisfa@tion or to communi- 
cate happinefs to others, and an habitual with 
extenfively to facrifice her own perfonal eafe 
and gratification, in order to add-to the en- 
joyment, or-to promote the advantage of ‘her 
relatives or her friends, were prominent fea- 
tures in her charaéter. Asa friend, the was 
fteady, faithful, alerts asa daughter, kind, 
cutiful, attentive; as a fitter, remarkable 
for the brightnefs and conftancy of -her love; 
as a wife, unwearied in: her attentions and 
unfhaken in her regard ; as a mother, -unfur- 
_ pafiedin the afliduity of her cares and in af- 
feGionate tenderness. 
In his » gift year, the Rew. Stebbing 
Shaw, the hiftorian of Staffordfhire. This 
gentleman was fon of the Rev. Stebbing 
Shaw, rector of Hartfhorn, on the borders of 
Derbythire, and almoft adjoining Athby de la 
Zouch, in'this.county.:. He was.born in the 
year 1762, ator neat Stone, in Staffordhhire; 
in the neighbourhood of which town, his 
motiver inherited admall landed eftate, which 
defcended to this her only child. He» was 
educated at the fchool of Repton, near Hart-_ 
thorn, firtt- under the Rev, Dr. «Prior, and 
latterly under his fucceffor, the Rev. Wile 
liam Bagfhaw Stevens, an ingenious poet and 
{cholar, who diedin 1800: From) this ac» 
complifhed man, for whom ‘he ‘retaimed an 
unabated friendfhip till death, he early im-- 
bibed- a warm love ‘of literature. ‘ At the 
The Rev. Stebbing Shaw. 
183 
clofe of the month of O&eber, 17380, he 
became arefident member of Queen’s College, 
in Cambridge. At this period, his firft li- 
terary predile@tions were fixed on Englifh 
poetry, of which he had caught an enthufi- 
aftic fondnefs from ‘his, laft mafter, . But even 
this partiality yielded, to his propenfity for 
mufic; in which his performance on the vio- 
lin, occupied a large portion of his time, and he 
had already attained confiderable excellence. 
In due time he took his degree of B, A. was 
elected to a fellowfhip, and went into orders. 
In this progrefs, it would have been ftrange 
if any impediments had occurred 5 his unim- 
peachable morals, his good temper, his free- 
dom from all envy, malice, intrigue, and 
guile, his philanthropy and fondnefs for fo- 
ciety, were qualities not likely to raife ene- 
mies, or clog his way with oppofition, Not 
long afterwards, jthe intimacy, which, for 
almoftt half a century, had fubfifted between 
his father and his neighbour, Sir Robert 
Burdett, of Foremark, in which hofpitable 
manfion the fon had pafled many of his ¢arly 
days, induced him to undertake the fuperin- 
tending care.of the prefent Sir Francis, then 
lately releafed from Weftminfter {chal at 
his father’s villa at Ealing. With, this pupil, 
he made a tour tothe Highands. of Scotland in 
the autumn of 1787, of which. he kepe a 
diary. This diary, originally: compofed:mere- 
ly for private amufement, he afterwards ane 
confiderately publifhed; -and thus, it.anuft 
be confefied, made his fir appearance as@mau- 
thor with fome difadvantage; luckilyjchow-~ - 
ever, the publication was anonymouse: In 
the following year, he made ja tour‘to‘the 
Weft of England, of which .he publithtd a 
more laboured account, with his maine. Phe 
-book was. well received; and, though*the 
ftyle isnot fimple and eafy, (an attainment 
‘which indeed the author never reachéd) yet 
it already exhibited no {mall improvément, 
and difcovered a dawning attention td the 
hiftory» of families and-property, to Which 
his induftrious refearches’ were afterwards dis 
re&ted with confiderable: fuccefs.—In 1739, 
about. the time of the publication of,” his 
Tour, he obtained admiffion to the reading=. 
room’ of the Britifh Mufeum. His account 
of the vat ftores of topographical and genea- 
logical materials depofited’ there, fired: the 
imagination of one:oef: his friends, who 
refided in London, and: with whom he paffed 
much of his time. » Fo*this conne€tion may 
be afcribed the origin of a periodical publi- 
cation, entitled «The Topographer,”” which 
commenced in the {pring of 1739.. The plan 
was -hafty 5; the materials: were indigefted. 
He whois gone, ought not to:thare .in the 
blame ‘of ‘this. His <oadjuror was inconfi- 
derate-and impetuous; he fought for, fome- 
thing to engagehis- mind,.and- he ‘did no 
give himfelf*time tc.anticipate the languo 
and avocationsswhich followed, The:.work 
was carried on for more than two years du 
Baz rin 
