The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Piozzi, Hester Lynch Salisbury

PIOZZI, pĭ-ŏz'ĭ (Ital. pē-ŏt'sē), Hester Lynch Salisbury, English author: b. Bodvel Carnarvonshire, Wales, 16 Jan. 1741; d. Clifton, Gloucestershire, 2 May 1821. In 1763 she was married to Henry Thrale, a wealthy brewer of Southwark, which borough he afterward represented in Parliament. In 1764 the Thrales made the acquaintance of Dr. Johnson, who lived much with them for more than 16 years and of whom she published ‘Anecdotes’ in 1786. Thrale dying in 1781, his widow married in 1784 Gabriel Piozzi, a Florentine music master, then resident in Bath. This alliance annoyed her friends and Johnson gave up her society. She accompanied her husband to Florence and while there contributed several poems to the Florence Miscellany, founded by the leaders of the Della Cruscan School, much ridiculed by Gifford. Among her writings are ‘British Synonym, or an Attempt at regulating the Choice of Words in Familiar Conversation’ (1794); ‘Retrospection, or a Review of the most Striking Events and Characters of the last 1,800 Years’ (1801). Consult ‘Autobiography, Letters and Literary Remains’ (1861); Seeley, ‘Mrs. Thrale’ (1891); Countess Cæsaresco, ‘Glimpses of Italian Society in the 18th Century’ (1892); Boswell, ‘Life of Samuel Johnson’ (1791).