CLEVER WIVES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1912, 13 July 1888, Page 31

CLEVER WIVES.

No female novelist worthy of the name appeared in England until the reign of George 111. The lady who first had the courage to brave public opinion was Frances Burney, the friend of Garrick and Dr Johnson. Miss Burney remained unmarried until she was nearly 40 years of age. Eomance is then supposed to exercise a less dominant power ; but she nevertheless had the imprudence to espouse Monsieur d'Arblay, a French refugee, whose income consisted only of a precarious annuity of £100. The marriage, however, proved a happy one. Macaulay describes Monsieur d'Arblay as "an honourable and amiable man, with a handsome person, frank soldier-like manners, and some taste for letters." The pair did not suffer from poverty; the wife became the breadwinner ; and not long after her marriage her third novel, "Camilla," was published, by which she is said to have realised over 3000gs.

Charlotte Bronte, in the zenith of her fame, married Mr Nicholls, her father's curate, a thoroughly good, conscientious man, but possessing by no means literary tastes. It was the woman, not the authoress, with whom the hardwoi-king clergyman fell in love, and whom he wished to make his wife, and he would rather have preferred than otherwise that she bad not written at all. This fact seemed to add to, not to detract from, his wife's happiness. Writing of him to a friend shortly after her marriage, she thus speaks : " One of the villagers, when proposing my husband's health, described him as a consistent Christian and a kind gentleman. I own the words touched me deeply, and I thought that to merit and win such a character was better than to earn wealth, or fame, or power."

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was a great benefactress to her country, and a very clever and beautiful woman ; but she was not quite fitted for domestic life; though, however, she chose to reside abroad while her husband remained in England, they regularly corresponded with each other on the most friendly terms. Mr Edward Wortley Montagu was by no means deficient in talent ; he was the intimate friend of Addison, and distinguished himself in Parliament as an able and upright politician. He was much older than his wife; and it is very probable that Lady Mary would never have accepted him, in spite of his entreaties, had it not been to escape from a most distasteful marriage into which her father endeavoured to force her. Few young ladies would like to imitate her example, and elope with a man with whom they were not in love ; but the high-spirited daughter of Lord Kingston would not be given away against her will.

The life of Angelica Kaufmann, the gifted Swiss artist, was a very romantic one. It has been said that she actually refused the hand of Sir Joshua Eeynolds. Whether this is true or not, it is almost certain that while in England she married an adventurer who represented himself as Count Horn, a Swedish nobleman. Her second and last husband was an artist of the name, of Zucchi, whom she had known from a child ; and the remainder of her life was spent happily with ' him in Italy.

The beautiful and enthusiastic Manoh Philipon, who distinguished herself by her •devotion to liberty and her anim6sity to the monster Robespierre during the, French Revolution, married, at the age of 25, Monsieur Roland, an elderly man of reserved manners, and with a grave, harsh countenance ; nevertheless, under this nnpleasing exterior

were concealed sterling qualities. His pol tical opinions were like his wife's ; and he literary ability was of great service to him in his capacity of Minister of the Interior. He entertained for her the greatest affection and esteem ; but his love was so selfish and domineering that he expected her every feeling to yield to it. To this tyranny she submitted without a murmur,. Madame Eoland was one of the many victims of the Revolution. She perished on the scaffold. .A few days afterwards her husband was found quite dead, leaning against the trunk of a tree, with a paper pinned on his breast. This paper, after explaining who he was, went on to say : —

" Whoever thou art that findest me lying here, respect my remains ; respect them as those of a virtuous man, who consecrated all his life to being useful, and who died as he had lived — virtuous and honest. Not fear, but indignation, made me quit my retreat on hearing that my wife had been murdered. I wished not to remain longer on an earth polluted with crimes."

When the poor old pan first heard of his wife's death he had wished to go at once to Paris, in order to denounce her murderers ; but he remembered that if he were tried and condemned all his property would be forfeited to the State, and his child left penniless, and therefore put an end to his own life.