The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume IV

In Short

This biographical compendium surveys the poets, playwrights, translators, and polemicists of late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland. Opening with dramatic poets and translators like Peter Motteux, it winds through court diplomats, political pamphleteers, tragic actors, and eccentric aristocrats, concluding with industrious editors like John Ozell. It records their educational beginnings, patronages, theatrical triumphs, courtroom battles, and eventual deaths. The work has lasted as a vital historical record of how writing transformed into a professional, high-stakes trade, preserving the human frailties, bitter rivalries, and precarious fortunes of those who sought literary fame before 1800.

The Story

The narrative arc traces the collective trajectory of a generation of writers navigating the volatile shifts of Augustan Britain. It begins with foreign-born and university-educated figures seeking their initial footing in London's theatrical and literary circles. Peter Motteux arrives from Normandy, parlaying commercial enterprise into theatrical masques and translations, while figures like Matthew Prior and Charles Montague leverage academic friendships at the university to launch high-level diplomatic careers. Early on, literary ambition is inextricably tied to political patronage and court favor, where writing a sharp satire or a dedicated masque opens doors to diplomatic posts, commissionerships, or seats in Parliament.

As the narrative moves into the middle period, the focus broadens from courtly verse to the rising power of public theater, journalism, and fierce party warfare. Authors like Sir Richard Steele build massive public reputations through periodical essays like The Tatler and The Spectator, using wit to observe low life while relying on government appointments to stay solvent. Yet the literary landscape is fraught with precarity. While William Congreve glides through life enriched by lucrative offices and high-society admiration, others suffer severe hardships. A poignant sequence details the tragic misfortunes of "Corinna" (Mrs. Thomas), who endures legal chicanery, unpaid debts, and imprisonment following her lover’s death. Meanwhile, theatrical figures like Barton Booth hone their craft on the London stage, securing public applause in tragic roles while navigating complex theater management shifts.

In its final phase, the book examines the high drama of political fanaticism, aristocratic extravagance, and fierce literary squabbles. Philip, Duke of Wharton, squanders brilliant oratorical talent and vast wealth in chaotic political opposition and self-destructive indulgence, dying an outcast. Critical combatants like John Dennis wage bitter pamphlet wars against rivals like Addison and Shakespeare's interpreters, defending rigid theories of sublimity and drama while slipping into poverty. The collection closes on industrious translators like John Ozell, who, despite being mocked in Pope’s Dunciad, secures public auditor positions, defends his honor in newspapers, and lives out a comfortable, steady life. The overall progression reveals that while brilliant verse may bring transient glory, a writer's ultimate fate rests on the erratic tides of political fortunes, financial prudence, and personal character.

How It Unfolds

The emergence of young wits Aspiring writers enter the literary sphere through university friendships, translating classical texts, or adapting foreign plays for the London stage. Early success depends heavily on securing influential patrons, such as the Earl of Dorset or the Earl of Halifax.

The heights of statecraft and theater Poets like Matthew Prior and William Congreve attain lucrative government posts and high diplomatic appointments, proving that literary flair can command political influence. Concurrently, playwrights and tragic actors achieve renown in packed London playhouses.

The hardships of the writing life Financial mismanagement, legal betrayal, and shifting political ministries cast many authors into sudden ruin. Female figures like Mrs. Thomas face relentless creditors, treacherous relatives, and debtor's prison despite their intellectual gifts.

Party faction and public warfare Writers align themselves with opposing Tory or Whig factions, launching political periodicals like The Examiner or The True-Briton. Figures like the volatile Duke of Wharton use published tracts to address the entire nation, blurring the line between literature and statecraft.

Critical feuds and final accounts Aging critics and modest translators clash with dominant figures like Alexander Pope. The long arc concludes as these diverse careers end—some in quiet obscurity or comfortable civic offices, others in tragic poverty or solemn churchyard vaults.

The People

• Matthew Prior: A quick-witted poet and diplomat who rises from university obscurity to high ambassadorial posts under King William, maintaining his sharp humor at court.
• William Congreve: A celebrated, fortune-blessed playwright who moves effortlessly through elite society, accumulates wealth without envy, and prefers in later years to be visited as a private gentleman.
• Sir Richard Steele: An immensely benevolent essayist and dramatist whose keen eye for low-life humor fuels classic periodicals, though his loose economy leads to constant financial escapades.
• "Corinna" (Mrs. Thomas): A talented woman whose devotion to her mother and deceased lover leaves her exposed to cruel legal swindles, mounting debts, and eventual imprisonment.
• Barton Booth: A dedicated tragic actor whose towering stage presence and mastery of intense passion—especially in Othello—command the total admiration of theatergoers.
• Philip, Duke of Wharton: A brilliantly gifted yet erratic nobleman driven by a lust for praise, whose inconsistent politics and wild extravagances turn him into a tragic, ruined outcast.
• John Dennis: A fierce, needy critic who champions religious sublimity in poetry and defends Shakespeare's native genius while launching bitter attacks on contemporary plays.
• John Ozell: A plodding, hardworking translator and city auditor who endured public mockery from Alexander Pope while maintaining a steady income and defending his translation merits in public prints.

In Its Own Voice

When foreign hosts displayed the grand artwork commemorating Louis XIV at Versailles and inquired after King William's monuments, Prior promptly defended his sovereign's wide influence:

"No Sir, replied Mr. Prior, the monuments of my master's actions are to be seen every where, but in his own house."

Seeking authentic comic material for his dramatic writing, Steele gathered an unvarnished crowd directly from the city streets:

"The servants obeyed, and Sir Richard soon saw himself at the head of 40 or 50 beggars, together with some poor decay'd tradesmen."

Smarting from his inclusion among the dunces of the era, Ozell publicly asserted his right to serve the reading public:

"----Surely, surely, every man is free to deserve well of his country!"

What It's Really About

The volume explores the complex intersection of literary ambition, economic necessity, and human character. It argues that intellectual brilliance alone cannot guarantee a stable or honorable life; without moral integrity, financial prudence, or steady judgment, great genius frequently degenerates into vanity and ruin. The text constantly weighs the true value of courtly patronage against personal independence, demonstrating how party politics can both elevate and destroy a writer. Beneath the biographical details lies a sustained inquiry into what constitutes lasting fame, contrasting those who write for transient applause or political favor with those who produce work of enduring civic and artistic worth.

Why Read It Today

This text offers an absorbing, unvarnished window into the working lives of eighteenth-century writers. Readers who enjoy literary history, theatre, or cultural biography will appreciate its rich anecdotes and candid assessments. The prose moves briskly, balancing tragic personal reversals with sharp conversational wit and historical detail.

It is not without its reading challenges. Modern readers must navigate eighteenth-century typography, archaic legal terms, abrupt structural shifts, and long lists of forgotten stage works or political pamphlets. The narrative reflects the period's candid, sometimes harsh attitudes toward poverty, debt, and gender vulnerabilities. Yet what remains with the reader is an intimate sense of real people struggling to forge a living through the written word—a world of passionate feuds, fragile triumphs, and enduring human ambition that feels remarkably close to our own.