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The Late Miss Sophia Lee
In the obituary, our readers will, we are persuaded, see with regret the name of SOPHIA LEE, author of 'The Chapter of Accidents,' 'Recess,' &c. Those amongst them who recollect the great success of these works, as well as their striking and original merit, will wonder that a writer, who, at an early age, could thus secure the admiration of the public, should have had self-command enough not to devote her after-life to that which was evidently both to her taste and talent; but the correct judgment and singular prudence of Miss Lee early induced her to prefer a permanent situation and active duties to the dazzling, but precarious, reputation of a popular author. Together with her sisters, one of whom had also a literary talent, she established a seminary at Bath for the education of young ladies; and her name, like that of Mrs Hannah More, in a similar situation at Bristol, gave a distinction to it which it is to be wished was always as well deserved in every establishment of this kind. At intervals, however, she found relaxation in the indulgence of her genius; and among her later productions, the tragedy of ‘Almeyda, Queen of Grenada,’ and the ‘Canterbury Tales,’ in which she associated herself as a writer with her sister, are most admired; and these, with the ‘Life of a Lover,’ and a balled called the ‘Hermit's Tale,’ were all the works she ever published.
On the 13th of March, she closed a long and meritorious life with pious resignation, preserving almost to the last those strong intellectual powers, and the tenderness of heart, which rendered her valuable to the public, and deeply regretted, not only by her relatives, but by all to whom she was personally known.
[complete] Provided by Julie A. Shaffer, September 1999.
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