ANTHOLOGIA HIBERNICA: O R, MONTHLY COLLECTIONS O F SCIENCE, BELLES LETTRES, AND HISTORY, A Defcription of Ballyfin, the Seat of the Honourable William Welley Pole, Efq; illustrated with a View of the fame; and fome Account of the Pole Family. B ALLYFIN, fituated in the barony of Maryborough and Queen's county, was originally part of the demefne lands of the O'Mores, chieftains of Leix, on which was an extenfive road, whofe fcite is at this day called O'More's foreft. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth this eftate was granted to Patrick Crosbie, efq; in reward for his fervices, in defeating the fchemes and plots of the O'Mores; but his great grandfon, Sir John Crosbie, bart. having efpoufed the royal cause of Charles I. he was attainted by the parliament; and the faid attainder never having been reverfed on the restoration, the king became entitled to his great eftate in 1663; of which Ballyfin was granted to Periam Pole, efq; brother to Sir John and fecond fon of Sir William Pole of Shute in Devonthire. His fon, William Pole, efq; pulled down the caftle erected by the Crofbies, and built a more modern house on its fcite; but which was destroyed by fire, and rebuilt by his fon, and compofes the north wing of the prefent edifice. He married Anne, daughter of Henry Colley, VOL. IV. July 1794. efq; of the noble family of Mornington, by whom he had two fons and four daughters, and died in October 1704. He was fucceeded by Periam his eldest fon, who died unmarried the 24th of April 1748, and was fucceeded by his younger brother, William Pole, efq; who on the 13th of August the same year, married Lady Sarah Moore, the only daughter of Edward the fifth earl of Drogheda; and was foon after created a member of his Majefty's most honourable privy council in ireland, and a governor of the Queen's county. He much improved his feat of Ballyfin, by planting wood, finking a lake before the houfe, forming extenfive gardens and hot-houses, erecting an elegant and commodious fquare of offices, and in 1778 built the eastern front, confifting of a hall, dining room, drawing room, library and other apartments, besides several bed chambers; and commanding an extenfive and beautiful view of the diftant country. But this and principal part of the edifice was never perfectly finished, for its patron, Lady Sarah, died in 1780, and Mr. Pole in Decem A ber 1781, both univerfally and justly separate that cannot be blended without In deftroying, or at least materially injuring, the characteristic features of each. forming therefore the youthful mind of either fex, care ought to be taken to preserve distinct that line which nature has pointed out as the proper bounds of each. To the mafculine mind appertain ftrength of thought, foundness of judgment, firmness and activity; to the feminine, elegance, tendernefs and flexibility. When a due and proper fhade much lamented by all ranks of people; being the parents of their tenants, the protectors of the poor, the fteauy and affectionate friends of their domeftics, and whofe urbanity and hofpitality endeared them to all thofe of whatever rank who had the honour and pleasure of their acquaintance. Mr. Pole dying without iffue, and being the laft reprefentative of his family in Ireland, left his estate by will to his third coufin by his mother, the honourable William of each is thrown on the other, it Wefley, younger brother to the prefent and fecond fon of the late earl of Mornington, who affumed the name and arms of Pole, and on the 17th of May 1784 married Catherine Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the honourable John Forbes, admiral of his majesty's fleet, and uncle to George earl of Granard. Ballyfin, which fignifies an habitation on a rifing ground, was a name given to this place by its firft inhabitant, John Crosbie, bishop of Ardfert, who was well fkilled in the Irifh tongue. Of its present state, if inhabited, from its pleafant fituation, agreeable walks and receffes in the wood which skirts the lake, ample gardens, extenfive demefne and deer-park, commodious offices and elegant apartments, Ballyfin might juftly be confidered the most elegant country feat in that part of the kingdom. foftens the general diftinguishing features, and either ftrengthens the one, or polithes and refines the other; but when too much blended, the mixture produces a compound, which has an uncouth and difagreeable effect on the varied scene of human life. A man therefore intirely educated by women, or a woman by men, however valuable their original characters, receive a bias in their general manner of thinking and acting, feldom advantageous to themselves or pleafing to fociety. Yet from an elegance and tenderness of mind joined to inexperience in the affairs of the world, there are few women endowed with a good and improved understanding, but think themselves fully competent to direct the education of their fons; and if they have the misfortune to be left in a ftate of widowhood, infift on the rights of mothers, in having the intire management of them in their own hands. A fenfible writer however juftly observes, that a young gentleman of his lady mother's making is a man at twelve, and a boy all his life after; the puffs him up with pride and conceit, which not only prevents him from being well received in the world, but in a great measure precludes every fpecies of ufeful knowledge. Madranus was the fon of a gentleman in the west of Ireland of fome landed property, but he had the misfortune at the tender age of five years, with an infant fifter, to lofe his father. They were therefore left to the care of their mother, a lady of about thirty-fix years of age, and whofe tenderness and affection for her children were not the only amiable features in her difpofition, the fhe was fenfible and of an upright mind. Though both her children might divide her affectionate cares, the fon appeared the darling of her heart. In a very early period of his existence fhe had formed a plan for his education, which in her opinion would render him one of the most accomplished of his age. Private tutors (for public fchools were considered as feminaries of vice) were therefore engaged to inftru&t him in the modern and dead languages, and at ten years of age he had made confiderable progrefs therein; as alfo dancing and fome other little accomplishments which women in general are fond of. He was in particular expert in rehearsing fpeeches and fcenes of plays, and also had got by heart the names and fituation of all the countries in the world. Thefe, with a polite attention to the ladies, efpecially the elder ones, and a perfect knowledge of the etiquette of the drawing room, made him be confidered by his female acquaintance as a wonderful and accom. plifhed child; and though men of fenfe and experience faw diftinctly the wrong turn his mind was taking, his mother was extremely delighted with the idea of the figure her darling fon would one day make in the polite and learned world. At the age of fifteen he entered the college of Dublin, and having a good memory, went through the courfe with fome degree of credit, though with little advantage to himself: for his mind not being accustomed to deep reflection or folidity of thought, any impreffion made thereon could not be lafting. Fashionable acquirements principally at tracted his attention. Mufic, dancing, fencing and riding the great horfe filled up the vacant hours that could be fpared from drefs, parties and affemblies. Being from his infancy more accustomed to the company of women than men, he principally affected the fociety of the former, by which affociation he attained a taste and paffion for drefs equal to the most fashionable female. His hair was not only always in the dernier gout, but frequently dreffed five or fix times a day; his complexion was improved by the affiftance of art, and bis fingers and These ears ornamented with jewels. with two watches, two fwords, an elegant diamond buckle and hat-band, in conjunction with his other accomplishments, rendered him the first-rank fribble of the day, meriting in every respect of the word, the honourable and fashionable appellation of the-tippy. Whatever might be the private thoughts of his female companions refpecting his frivolarity, they found him a convenient and neceffary appendage to their parties; though it was not unfrequent for them to fhew to each other a Madranus as they would fhew an ape. Oeconomy had never debafed his mind, every thought relative to that fubject was confidered by him incompatible with the idea of a gentleman; above looking into his own affairs or keeping his money, he confidered gold coin no better than counters which were put loofe in his breeches pocket, but filver never had that honour, the fervant being ordered to throw a handful of that metal every morning into the pocket of his coat. This careleffaefs in pecuniary matters foon rendered his expenditure much beyond his income, his friends were alarmed, and his fond mother too late faw with grief and aftonishment the error of her plan. He was, notwithstanding all his errors and faults of education, generous, humane, good-natured, and endowed with a fufficient degree of ambition to wish to thine in fome reputable department of fociety, but wanted steadinefs and application to attain it. Being at length thought adviseable to apply to the ftudy of the law, he departed for the temple, and foon arrived at the metropolis of the British empire. But the dry courfe of reading neceffary for the attainment of legal knowledge, was ill adapted to the mind of Madranus; it was a drudgery to which he could by no means fubmit; his time was therefore fpent in the ufual rounds of pleasure and diffipation, of which he found fufficient variety in that great mart of virtue, folly and vice. Ignorant of the ways and characters of men, he became frequently the dupe of the artful and defigning, and his paffion for the A 2 compan |