Editing William Congreve (section)

==Later life==
Congreve withdrew from the theatre and lived the rest of his life on residuals from his early work, the royalties received when his plays were produced, as well as his private income. His output from 1700 was restricted to the occasional poem and some translation (notably [[Molière]]'s ''[[Monsieur de Pourceaugnac]]''). He collaborated with Vanbrugh on a 1704 English version of the play called ''[[Squire Trelooby]]''. Congreve never married; in his own era and through subsequent generations, he was famous for his friendships with prominent actresses and noblewomen for whom he wrote major parts in all his plays. These women included [[Anne Bracegirdle]] and [[Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough]], daughter of the famous general, [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]]. Congreve and Henrietta most probably met some time before 1703 and the duchess subsequently had a daughter, [[Mary Osborne, Duchess of Leeds|Mary]] (1723–1764), who was believed to be his child. Upon his death, he left his entire fortune to the Duchess of Marlborough.

As early as 1710, Congreve suffered both from gout and from cataracts on his eyes. He was involved in a carriage accident in late September 1728 from which he never recovered (having probably received an internal injury); he died in London in January 1729, and was buried in [[Poets' Corner]] in [[Westminster Abbey]].