we should not expect
that either her great-uncle Frank, or her cousin, Francis Motley Austen,
would go to the expense of a picture of her by Zoffany. Francis Motley
had a daughter of his own, another Jane Austen, who became Mrs. Campion
of Danny, and a confusion between the two Janes is a possible
explanation.

On the other hand, we believe there is no tradition in either the Austen
or the Campion family of any such portrait of _that_ Jane Austen, and
the _provenance_ of our picture is well authenticated. The Rev. Morland
Rice (grandson of Edward Austen) was a Demy of Magdalen College, Oxford.
An old Fellow of Magdalen, Dr. Newman, many years before his death, told
him that he had a portrait of Jane Austen the novelist, that had long
been in his family. He stated that it was painted at Bath when she was
about fifteen, and he promised to leave him (M. Rice) the picture. A few
months before his death, Dr. Newman wrote to his friend, Dr. Bloxam,
sending him a picture as a farewell present, and adding: 'I have another
picture that I wish to go to your neighbour, Morland Rice. It is a
portrait of Jane Austen the novelist, by Zoffany. The picture was given
to my stepmother by her friend Colonel Austen of Kippington, Kent,
because she was a great admirer of her works.' Colonel Austen was a son
of Francis Motley, and it is hardly conceivable that he should give away
to a stranger a portrait of his _sister_ Jane as one of his _cousin_
Jane. Our Jane became fifteen on December 16, 1790, and Zoffany returned
from India[44] in that year. Jane is believed to have visited her uncle,
Dr. Cooper (who died in 1792), at Bath. There is nothing in these dates
to raise any great difficulty, and, on the whole, we have good reason to
hope that we possess in this picture an authentic portrait of the
author.

The Austens seem to have been possessed of considerable histrionic
talent, and they were decidedly ambitious in the plays they undertook.
Their cousin Eliza was out of England in 1784 when their theatricals
first began; but on a later occasion she was one of the principal
performers. They had their summer theatre in the barn, and their winter
theatre either there or within the narrow limits of the dining-room,
where the number of listeners must have been very small. In 1784
Sheridan's _Rivals_ was acted by 'some ladies and gentlemen at
Steventon.' The same year they seem to have given also the tragedy of
_Matilda_.[45] It was the day of