Playwright. He was educated in Ireland, a friend and fellow student of  Jonathan Swift,  and turned to literature upon his arrival in London. An unsuccessful attempt at a novel, ‘Incognita’, was followed by the success of a comedy ‘The Old Bachelor’, which appeared in 1693. More comedies of manners followed.  Anne Bracegirdle, an enchanting actress and a friend of the dramatist, largely contributed to their success. After his death, the monument was erected by Henrietta, Ducess of Malborough, to whom he left the bulk of his fortune, and she wrote the epitaph. (bio by: julia&keld)