WehavementionedafewofthemosteminentofthosewhopaidtheirhomagetotheauthorofEvelina。ThecrowdofinferioradmirerswouldrequireacatalogueaslongasthatinthesecondbookoftheIliad。InthatcataloguewouldbeMrs。Cholmondeley，thesayerofoddthings，andSeward，muchgiventoyawning，andBaretti，whoslewthemanintheHaymarket，andPaoli，talkingbrokenEnglish，andLangton，tallerbytheheadthananyothermemberoftheclub，andLadyMillar，whokeptavasewhereinfoolswerewonttoputbadverses，andJerninghamwhowroteversesfittobeputintothevaseofLadyMillar，andDr。Franklin，not，assomehavedreamed，thegreatPennsylvanianDr。Franklin，whocouldnotthenhavepaidhisrespectstoMissBurneywithoutmuchriskofbeinghanged，drawnandquartered，butDr。Franklintheless，AiasMeionoutitodosgedsosTelamoniosAiasAllapolumeion。
Itwouldnothavebeensurprisingifsuchsuccesshadturnedevenastronghead，andcorruptedevenagenerousandaffectionatenature。But，intheDiary，wecanfindnotraceofanyfeelinginconsistentwithatrulymodestandamiabledisposition。Thereis，indeed，abundantproofthatFrancesenjoyedwithanintense，thoughatroubledjoy，thehonourswhichhergeniushadwon;butitisequallyclearthatherhappinesssprangfromthehappinessofherfather，hersister，andherdearDaddyCrisp。Whileflatteredbythegreat，theopulent，andthelearned，whilefollowedalongtheSteyneatBrighton，andthePantilesatTunbridgeWells，bythegazeofadmiringcrowds，herheartseemstohavebeenstillwiththelittledomesticcircleinSaintMartin’sStreet。Ifsherecordedwithminutediligenceallthecompliments，delicateandcoarse，whichsheheardwhereversheturned，sherecordedthemfortheeyesoftwoorthreepersonswhohadlovedherfrominfancy，whohadlovedherinobscurity，andtowhomherfamegavethepurestandmostexquisitedelight。
Nothingcanbemoreunjustthantoconfoundtheseoutpouringsofakindheart，sureofperfectsympathy，withtheegotismofabluestocking，whopratestoallwhocomenearheraboutherownnovelorherownvolumeofsonnets。
ItwasnaturalthatthetriumphantissueofMissBurney’sfirstventureshouldtempthertotryasecond。Evelina，thoughithadraisedherfame，hadaddednothingtoherfortune。Someofherfriendsurgedhertowriteforthestage。Johnsonpromisedtogiveherhisadviceastothecomposition。Murphy，whowassupposedtounderstandthetemperofthepitaswellasanymanofhistime，undertooktoinstructherastostageeffect。
Sheridandeclaredthathewouldacceptaplayfromherwithoutevenreadingit。Thusencouraged，shewroteacomedynamedTheWitlings。Fortunatelyitwasneveractedorprinted。Wecan，wethink，easilyperceive，fromthelittlewhichissaidonthesubjectintheDiary，thatTheWitlingswouldhavebeendamned，andthatMurphy，andSheridanthoughtso，thoughtheyweretoopolitetosayso。HappilyFranceshadafriendwhowasnotafraidtogiveherpain。Crisp，wiserforherthanhehadbeenforhimself，readthemanuscriptinhislonelyretreat，andmanfullytoldherthatshehadfailed，thattoremoveblemisheshereandtherewouldbeuseless，thatthepiecehadabundanceofwitbutnointerest，thatitwasbadasawhole，thatitwouldremindeveryreaderoftheFemmesSavantes，which，strangetosay，shehadneverread，andthatshecouldnotsustainsocloseacomparisonwithMoliere。Thisopinion，inwhichDr。Burneyconcurred，wassenttoFrances，inwhatshecalled\"ahissing，groaning，catcallingepistle。\"Butshehadtoomuchsensenottoknowthatitwasbettertobehissedandcat—calledbyherDaddy，thanbyawholeseaofheadsinthepitofDruryLaneTheatre: