rcumstances of it are these: He had, by his gaming and extravagance,
so embarrassed his affairs, that he courted a rich widow in order to
retrieve them; but she being an ambitious woman, would not condescend to
marry him, unless he could make her a lady, which he was obliged to
do by the purchase of a knighthood; and this appears in a Consolatary
Epistle to captain Julian, from the duke of Buckingham, in, which this
match is reflected on. We have no account of any issue he had by this
lady, but from the information of Mr. Bowman we can say, that he
cohabited, for some time, with the celebrated Mrs. Barry the actress,
and had one daughter by her; that he settled 5 or 6000 l. on her, but
that she died young.

From the same intelligence, it also appears, that Sir George was, in his
person, a fair[1], slender, genteel man, but spoiled his countenance
with drinking, and other habits of intemperance. In his deportment he
was very affable and courteous, of a generous disposition, which, with
his free, lively, and natural vein of writing, acquired him the general
character of gentle George, and easy Etherege, in respect of which
qualities, we often find him compared to Sir Charles Sedley. His courtly
and easy behaviour so recommended him to the Duchess of York, that
when on the accession of King James II. she became Queen, she sent him
ambassador abroad, Gildon says, to Hamburgh; but it is pretty evident,
that he was in that reign a minister at Ratisbon, at least, from the
year 1686, to the time his majesty left this kingdom, if not later, but
it appears that he was there, by his own letters wrote from thence to
the earl of Middleton.

After this last comedy, we meet with no more he ever wrote for the
stage; however, there are preserved some letters of his in prose,
published among a collection of Familiar Letters, by John earl of
Rochester; two of which, sent to the duke of Buckingham, have particular
merit, both for the archness of the turns, and the acuteness of the
observations. He gives his lordship a humorous description of some of
the Germans, their excessive drunkenness; their plodding stupidity and
ostensive indelicacy; he complains that he has no companion in that part
of the world, no Sir Charles Sedleys, nor Buckinghams, and what is still
worse, even deprived of the happiness of a mistress, for, the women
there, he says, are so coy, and so narrowly watched by their relations,
that there is no possibility of accompl