here, not without some struggles, he
again applied himself to the practice of the law, and in time made a
fortune. He did not, however, forget America, and we are told that he
had, hanging in his house, a portrait of Washington, which he expected
all his visitors to salute.

One of the ways in which the republicans of that time showed where
their sympathies lay, was in naming their children after the heroes of
Greece and Rome; and accordingly we find Richard Booth calling his
eldest son, Junius Brutus Booth, after the Roman patriot. This son was
born in London, in 1796. His father was a man of scholarly tastes, and
gave the boy a classical education, but it was long before he showed a
marked inclination for any particular walk in life. He tried his hand
at painting, sculpture, and poetry; and for a while studied law with
his father. But, when the time came to choose, he gave his voice for
the navy, and would have joined the brig Boxer, then fitting out for
Nova Scotia. But, as war threatened between England and America, he
was induced, by the strong persuasions of his father, not to run the
risk of being forced to fight against America. He then decided to go
upon the stage, and, in spite of his father's remonstrances, carried
out his purpose. After some unimportant essays he at last succeeded in
attracting public attention, and before long showed such unmistakable
ability in dealing with difficult parts, that the public, till that
time undivided in its enthusiasm for Kean, awoke to the fact that a
dangerous rival threatened the security of their idol's throne. In the
midst of his successes, however, Booth married and left England with
his wife for a honeymoon trip to the West Indies. He had intended to
return at once to England, but he was persuaded to prolong his journey
and to visit New York. After playing a successful engagement there he
went to Richmond, where he was no less prosperous. He next visited New
Orleans and acquired such facility in speaking French that he played
parts in French plays more than acceptably, and distinguished himself
by acting Orestes in Racine's "Andromaque," to the delight of the
French-speaking population. His accent is said to have been remarkable
for its purity. Returning to New York, he acted Othello to Forrest's
Iago; but, in the midst of his successes, the death of two of his
children produced a temporary insanity, and this was made worse by the
news of the death of his favorite son