in Holland, probably upon his military duty, from
whence he has given a description in two of his letters
dated that year from Brill, and from Leyden, no less
true than humorous, as well of those places as the
people; and in a third, dated from the Hague he very
facetiously relates how merry he was there, at a treat
made by the earl of Westmoreland, while, not only himself,
but king William, and other of his subjects were detained
there by a violent storm, which he has no less humorously
described, and has, among his poems, written also
an ingenious copy of verses to his mistress on the
same subject. Whether this mistress was the same
person he calls his charming Penelope, in several
of his love letters addressed to her, we know not,
but we have been informed by an old officer in the
army, who well knew Mr. Farquhar, that by that name
we are to understand Mrs. Oldfield, and that the person
meant by Mrs. V—— in one of them,
said to be her bedfellow, was Mrs. Verbruggen the
actress, the same who was some years before Mrs. Mountfort,
whom Mrs. Oldfield succeeded, (when Mrs. V——
died some years after in child-bed) with singular
commendation, in her principal parts; and from so bright
a flame it was no wonder that Farquhar was more than
ordinarily heated. The author of Mrs. Oldfield’s
life says, that she has often heard her mention some
agreeable hours she spent with captain Farquhar:
As she was a lady of true delicacy, nor meanly prostituted
herself to every adorer, it would be highly ungenerous
to suppose, that their hours ever passed in criminal
freedoms. And ’tis well known, whatever
were her failings, she wronged no man’s wife;
nor had an husband to injure.
Mr. Farquhar, encouraged by the success of his last
piece, made a continuation of it in 1701, and brought
on his Sir Harry Wildair; in which Mrs. Oldfield received
as much reputation, and was as greatly admired in
her part, as Wilks was in his.
In the next year he published his Miscellanies, or
Collection of Poems, Letters, and Essays, already
mentioned, and which contain a variety of humorous,
and pleasant sallies of fancy: There is amongst
them a copy of verses addressed to his dear Penelope,
upon her wearing her Masque the evening before, which
was a female fashion in those days, as well at public
walks, as among the spectators at the Playhouse.
These verses naturally display his temper and talents,
and will afford a very clear idea of them; and therefore
we shall here insert them.
’The arguments you made use of last night for
keeping on your masque, I endeavoured to defeat with
reason, but that proving ineffectual, I’ll try
the force of rhyme, and send you the heads of our chat,
in a poetical dialogue between You and I.’
You.
Thus images are veil’d which you
adore;
Your ignorance does raise your zeal the
more.
I.
All image worship for false zeal is held;
False idols ought indeed to be conceal’d.