The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) by Theophilus Cibber The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) by Theophilus Cibber Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Leah Moser and PG Distributed Proofreaders THE LIVES OF THE POETS OF GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND. page 1 / 413 By Mr. CIBBER, and other Hands. VOL. IV. MDCCLIII. VOLUME IV. Contains the LIVES OF Motteux Manley Mrs. Needler Hughes Prior Centlivre Mrs. Brady Stepney Pack Dawes Arch. York Congreve Vanbrugh Steele Marvel Thomas Mrs. Fenton Booth Sewel Hammond page 2 / 413 Eusden Eachard Oldmixon Welsted Smyth More Dennis Granville L. Lansdowne Gay Philip D. Wharton Codrington Ward L'Estrange Smith Edmund De Foe Rowe Mrs. Yalden Mitchel Ozell * * * * * _Just Published,_ Dedicated to the Right Honourable PHILIP Earl of CHESTERFIELD. Correctly printed in a neat Pocket Volume (Price Bound Three page 3 / 413 Shillings,) The Second Edition of LES MOEURS; or, MANNERS. Accurately Translated from the French. Wherein the Principles of Morality, or Social Duties, viz. Piety, Wisdom, Prudence, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Love, Friendship, Humanity, &c. &c. are described in all their Branches; the Obligations of them shewn to consist in our Nature, and the Enlargement of them strongly enforc'd. Here Parents are taught, that, giving Birth to a Child, scarcety entitles them to that honourable Name, without a strict Discharge of Parental Duties; the Friend will find, there are a thousand other Decorums, besides the doing of a Favour, to entitle him to the tender Name of Friend; and the Good natur'd Man will find, he ought to extend that Quality beyond the Bounds of his own Neighbourhood or Party. The Whole wrote in a manner entirely New and Entertaining, and enliven'd with real Characters, drawn from life, and fited to instill the Principles of all Social Virtues into tender Minds. Printed for W. Johnston at the Golden-Ball in St. Paul's Church-Yard. THE LIVES OF THE POETS. * * * * * page 4 / 413 PETER MOTTEAUX, A French gentleman, born and educated at Rohan, in Normandy. He came over into England, was a considerable trader, and resided here many years. He is said to have possessed no inconsiderable share of wit, and humour; and, besides a translation of Don Quixote, several Songs, Prologues and Epilogues, together with a Poem on Tea, dedicated to the Spectator, (see Vol. VII. Numb. 552) he is author of the following dramatic pieces. 1. Love's a Jest, a Comedy; acted at the new Theatre, in little Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1696. In the two scenes, where love is made a jest, some passages are taken from Italian writers. 2. The Loves of Mars and Venus; a Masque set to Music, performed at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1696; dedicated to colonel Codrington. The story from Ovid. 3. The Novelty, or every Act a Play; consisting of Pastoral, Comedy, Masque, Tragedy, and Farce, after the Italian manner; acted at the Theatre in little Lincoln's-Inn Fields 1697. The model of this play is formed upon Sir William Davenant's Play-House to be let: But neither of them met with much success. page 5 / 413 4. Europe's Revels for the Peace, and his Majesty's Happy Return, a Musical Interlude, performed at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1697. 5. Beauty in Distress, a Tragedy; acted at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1698. There is some poetry in this play; and in the multiplicity of its incidents, he has followed the example of the British Poets. Before this piece, there is prefixed a discourse on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of plays; written originally in French, by the learned father Cassaro, divinity professor at Paris; sent by a friend to Mr. Motteaux. 6. The Island Princess, or the Generous Portugueze; made into an Opera, and performed at the Theatre-Royal 1701. The music by Mr. Daniel Purcell, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Leveridge. The greatest part of the play is taken from Fletcher's Island Princess. Scene the Spice Island. 7. The Four Seasons, or Love in every Age; a musical Interlude, set to Music by Mr. Jeremiah Clark; printed with the musical Entertainments of the above Opera. 8. Britain's Happiness, a musical Interlude; performed at both the Theatres, being part of the entertainment, subscribed for by the nobility. Scene a prospect of Dover castle and the sea. This Interlude was long before designed, only as an introduction to an Opera; which if ever finished was to have been called the Loves of Europe, every act shewing the manner of the page 6 / 413 different nations in their addresses to the fair-sex; of which he has informed us in his prefatory epistle. 9. Thomyris Queen of Scythia, an Opera; translated from the Italian; performed at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. 10. The Temple of Love, a Pastoral Opera, from the Italian; performed at the Queen's Theatre in the Hay-market, by her majesty's servants, 1706. Scene Arcadia. Time of action, the same with that of the representation. 11. Love Dragoon'd, a Farce. This gentleman, who seems to have led a very comfortable life, his circumstances being easy, was unfortunate in his death; for he lost his life in a disorderly house, in the parish of St. Clement Danes, not without suspicion of having been murthered; which accident happened to him, on his birth day in the 58th year of his age, 1718. His body was interred in his own parish church, being that of St. Mary Ax, in the city of London. * * * * * Mrs. MANLEY, page 7 / 413 The celebrated authoress of the Atalantis, was born in Hampshire, in one of those islands which formerly belonged to France, of which her father Sir Roger Manley was governor; who afterwards enjoyed the same post in other places in England. He was the second son of an ancient family; the better part of his estate was ruined in the civil war by his firm adherence to Charles I. He had not the satisfaction of ever being taken notice of, nor was his loyalty acknowledged at the restoration. The governor was a brave gallant man, of great honour and integrity. He became a scholar in the midst of the camp, having left the university at the age of sixteen, to follow the fortunes of Charles I. His temper had too much of the Stoic in it to attend much to the interest of his family. After a life spent in the civil and foreign wars, he began to love ease and retirement, devoting himself to his study, and the charge of his little post, without following the court; his great virtue and modesty, debaring him from solliciting favours from such persons as were then at the helm of affairs, his deserts were buried, and forgotten. In this solitude he wrote several tracts for his own amusement, particularly his Latin Commentaries of the Civil Wars of England. He was likewise author of the first volume of that admired work, the Turkish Spy. One Dr. Midgley, an ingenious physician, related to the family by marriage, had the charge of looking over his papers. Amongst them he found that manuscript, which he reserved to his proper use, and by his own pen, and the assistance of some others, continued the work till the eighth volume was page 8 / 413 finished, without having the honesty to acknowledge the author of the first. The governor likewise wrote the History of the Rebellion in England, Scotland and Ireland; wherein the most material passages, battles, sieges, policies, and stratagems of war, are impartially related on both sides, from the year 1640, to the beheading of the duke of Monmouth 1688, in three parts, printed in octavo, in the year 1691. His daughter, our authoress, received an education suitable to her birth, and gave very early discoveries of a genius, not only above her years, but much superior to what is usually to be found amongst her own sex. She had the misfortune to lose her mother, while she was yet an infant, a circumstance, which laid the foundation of many calamities, which afterwards befell her. The brother of Sir Roger Manley, who was of principles very opposite to his, joined with the Parliamentarian party; and after Charles I. had suffered, he engaged with great zeal in the cause of those who were for settling a new form of government, in which, however, they were disappointed by the address of Cromwell, who found means to transfer the government into his own hands, and in place of instituting a republic, restored monarchy under another name, and erected a tyranny as dangerous, perhaps, in its consequences, as that which he had contributed to overthrow. During these heats and divisions, Mr. Manley, who adhered to the most powerful party, was page 9 / 413 fortunate enough to amass an estate, and purchased a title; but these, upon the restoration, reverted back to the former possessor; so that he was left with several small children unprovided for. The eldest of these orphans, Sir Roger Manley took under his protection, bestowed a very liberal education on him, and endeavoured to inspire his mind with other principles, than those he had received from his father. This young gentleman had very promising parts, but under the appearance of an open simplicity, he concealed the most treacherous hypocrisy. Sir Roger, who had a high opinion of his nephew's honour, as well as of his great abilities, on his death-bed bequeathed to him the care of our authoress, and her youngest sister.