hope and peace in the hour of death to the penitent criminal.  When from party bigotry it has happened that a priest has been denied admittance to the condemned criminal, my father has gone to the county gaol to soothe the sufferer’s mind, and to receive that confession on which, to the poor Catholic’s belief, his salvation depended. . . .  Nor did he ever weaken in any heart in which it ever existed that which he considered as the greatest blessing that a human creature can enjoy—­firm religious faith and hope.’

The following extract from a letter written to the Roman Catholics of the County of Longford will show that Edgeworth was no bigoted Protestant, but was in advance of his time in the broad views he took of religious liberty:  ’Ever since I have taken any part in the politics of Ireland, I have uniformly thought that there should be no civil distinctions between its inhabitants upon account of their religious opinions.  I concurred with a great character at the national convention, in endeavouring to persuade our Roman Catholic brethren to take a decided part in favour of parliamentary reform.  They declined it; and it then became absurd and dangerous for individuals to demand rights in the name of a class of citizens who would not avow their claim to them. . . .  I wish ... to declare myself in favour of a full participation of rights amongst every denomination of men in Ireland; and if I can, by my personal interference at any public meeting of our county, serve your cause, I shall think it my duty to attend.’

CHAPTER 7

During Edgeworth’s stay in England in 1792 and 1793 he paid frequent visits to London, and he used to describe to his children a curious meeting which he had in a coffee-house with an old acquaintance whom he had not seen for thirty years:’  He observed a gentleman eyeing him with much attention, who at last exclaimed, “It is he.  Certainly, sir, you are Mr. Edgeworth?”

’"I am, sir.”

’"Gentlemen,” said the stranger, with much importance, addressing himself to several people who were near him, “here is the best dancer in England, and a man to whom I am under infinite obligations, for I owe to him the foundation of my fortune.  Mr. Edgeworth and I were scholars of the famous, Aldridge; and once when we practised together, Mr. Edgeworth excelled me so much, that I sat down upon the ground, and burst out a-crying; he could actually complete an entrechat of ten distinct beats, which I could not accomplish!  However, I was well consoled by him; for he invented, for Aldridge’s benefit, The Tambourine Dance, which had uncommon success.  The dresses were Chinese.  Twelve assistants held small drums furnished with bells; these were struck in the air by the dancer’s feet when held as high as their arms could reach.  This Aldridge performed, and improved upon by stretching his legs asunder, so as to strike two drums at the same time.  Those not being the days of elegant dancing, I afterwards,” continued the stranger, “exhibited at Paris the tambourine dance, to so much advantage, that I made fifteen hundred pounds by it.”