The Life of the Right Honorable John Philpot Curran; Late Master of the Rolls in Ireland (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1855 Excerpt: ... Ccrran's DOMESTIC AFFA1K5. 357 CHAPTER XVI. Mr. Curran's domestic affairs--Forensic efforts--Appointed Master of the Rolls in Ireland--His literary projects--Letter to Mr. M'Nally--Account of a rlslt to Scotland in a letter to Miss Philpot--Letter to Mr. Leslie--Letters to Mr. HetherIngton. this seems to bo the proper place to introduce a notice of Mr. Curran's domestic relations, which it was very pardonable in his son, to have avoided any mention of. His two other biographers, Phillips and O'Regan, were not in a situation to be affected by such delicacy, and have spoken what they knew. Phillips says: --"There is no doubt there were times when he was subject to the most extreme despondency; but the origin of this was visible enough, without having recourse' to any mysterious inquiries. It was the case with him as it is with every person whose spirits are apt to be occasionally excited--the depression is at intervals in exact proportion. Like a bow overstrained, the mind relaxes in consequence of the exertion. He was naturally extremely sensitive--domestic misfortunes rendered his home unhappy--he flew for a kind of refuge into public life; and the political ruin of his country, leaving him without an object of private enjoyment or of patriotic hope, flung him upon his own heart-devouring reflections. Ho was at those times a striking instance of his own remark upon the disadvantages attendant upon too refined a sensibility. 'Depend upon it, my dear friend, ' said he, 'it is a serious misfortune in life to have a mind more sensitive or more cultivated than common; it naturally elevates its possessor into a region which he must be doomed to find nearly uninhabitedP It was a deplorable thing to see him, in the decline of life, when visited by this constitutional...