A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 1

A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature.

by John W. Cousin.

INTRODUCTION

The primary aim of this book is to give as much information about English authors, including under this designation American and Colonial writers, as the prescribed limits will admit of. At the same time an attempt has been made, where materials exist for it, to enhance the interest by introducing such details as tend to ill.u.s.trate the characters and circ.u.mstances of the respective writers and the manner in which they pa.s.sed through the world; and in the case of the more important, to give some indication of the relative place which they hold and the leading features of their work.

Including the Appendix of Living Writers, the work contains upwards of 1600 names; but large as this number is, the number of those who have contributed something of interest and value to the vast store of English Literature is larger still, and any attempt to make a book of this kind absolutely exhaustive would be futile.

The word "literature" is here used in a very wide sense, and this gives rise to considerable difficulty in drawing the line of exclusion. There are very many writers whose claim to admission may reasonably be considered as good as that of some who have been included; but even had it been possible to discover all these, their inclusion would have swelled the work beyond its limits. A line had to be drawn somewhere, and the writer has used his best judgment in making that line as consistent as possible. It may probably, however, be safely claimed that every department of the subject of any importance is well represented.

Wherever practicable (and this includes all but a very few articles), various authorities have been collated, and pains have been taken to secure accuracy; but where so large a collection of facts and dates is involved, it would be too sanguine to expect that success has invariably been attained.

J.W.C.

_January_, 1910.

ABBOTT, JACOB (1803-1879).--Educationalist and miscellaneous author, _b._ at Hallowell, Maine, _ed._ at Bowdoin Coll. and Andover, entered the ministry of the Congregational Church, but was best known as an educationist and writer of religious and other books, mainly for the young. Among them are _Beechnut Tales_ and _The Rollo Books_, both of which still have a very wide circulation.

ABBOTT, JOHN STEVENS CABOT (1805-1877).--Historian, etc., _b._ Brunswick, Maine, and _ed._ at Bowdoin Coll. He studied theology and became a minister of the Congregational Church at various places in Ma.s.sachusetts and Connecticut. Owing to the success of a little work, _The Mother at Home_, he devoted himself, from 1844 onwards, to literature, and especially to historical writing. Among his princ.i.p.al works, which were very popular, are: _History of Napoleon Bonaparte_ (1852-55), _History of the Civil War in America_ (1863-66), and _History of Frederick the Great_ (1871).

a BECKETT, GILBERT ABBOTT (1811-1856).--Comic writer, _b._ in London, the _s._ of a lawyer, and belonged to a family claiming descent from Thomas a Becket. Destined for the legal profession, he was called to the Bar. In addition to contributions to various periodicals and newspapers, including _Punch_, _The Ill.u.s.trated London News_, _The Times_, and _Morning Herald_, he produced over fifty plays, many of which attained great popularity, and he also helped to dramatise some of d.i.c.kens' works.

He is perhaps best known as the author of _Comic History of England_, _Comic History of Rome_, _Comic Blackstone_, etc. He was also distinguished in his profession, acted as a commissioner on various important matters, and was appointed a metropolitan police magistrate.

ABERCROMBIE, JOHN (1780-1844).--Physician and writer on mental science, _s._ of a minister, was _b._ at Aberdeen, and _ed._ at the Grammar School and Marischal College there. He studied medicine at Edinburgh, in which city he practised as a physician. He made valuable contributions to the literature of his profession, and _pub._ two works, _Enquiry Concerning the Intellectual Powers_ (1830) and _The Philosophy of the Moral Feelings_ (1833), which, though popular at the time of their publication, have long been superseded. For his services as a physician and philanthropist he received many marks of distinction, including the Rectorship of Marischal College.

ABERCROMBIE, PATRICK (1656-1716).--Antiquary and historian, was physician to James II. in 1685; he was a Jacobite and opposed the Union in various pamphlets. His chief work was _Martial Achievements of the Scots Nation_ (1711-16).

ACTON, JOHN EMERICH EDWARD DALBERG-ACTON, 1ST LORD (1834-1902).--Historian, _s._ of Sir Richard A., and grandson of Sir John A., who was Prime Minister of Naples, was _b._ at Naples. He belonged to an ancient Roman Catholic family, and was _ed._ first at Oscott near Birmingham under Dr. (afterwards Card.) Wiseman. Thence he went to Edinburgh, where he studied privately, and afterwards to Munich, where he resided in the house of Dr. Dollinger, the great scholar and subsequent leader of the Old Catholic party, by whom he was profoundly influenced.

While at Edinburgh he endeavoured to procure admission to Cambridge, but without success, his religion being at that time a bar. He early devoted himself to the study of history, and is said to have been on terms of intimacy with every contemporary historian of distinction, with the exception of Guizot. He sat in the House of Commons 1859-65, but made no great mark, and in 1869 was raised to the peerage as Lord Acton of Aldenham. For a time he edited _The Rambler_, a Roman Catholic periodical, which afterwards became the _Home and Foreign Review_, and which, under his care, became one of the most learned publications of the day. The liberal character of A.'s views, however, led to its stoppage in deference to the authorities of the Church. He, however, maintained a lifelong opposition to the Ultramontane party in the Church, and in 1874 controverted their position in four letters to _The Times_ which were described as the most crushing argument against them which ever appeared in so condensed a form. A.'s contributions to literature were few, and, in comparison with his extraordinary learning, comparatively unimportant.

He wrote upon _Cardinal Wolsey_ (1877) and _German Schools of History_ (1886). He was extremely modest, and the loftiness of his ideals of accuracy and completeness of treatment led him to shrink from tasks which men of far slighter equipment might have carried out with success. His learning and his position as a universally acknowledged master in his subject were recognised by his appointment in 1895 as Professor of Modern History at Cambridge. Perhaps his most valuable services to historical literature were his laying down the lines of the great _Cambridge Modern History_, and his collection of a library of 60,000 vols., which after his death was purchased by an American millionaire and presented to Lord Morley of Blackburn, who placed it in the University of Cambridge.

Ad.a.m.nAN, ST. (625?-704).--Historian, _b._ in Donegal, became Abbot of Iona in 679. Like other Irish churchmen he was a statesman as well as an ecclesiastic, and appears to have been sent on various political missions. In the great controversy on the subject of the holding of Easter, he sided with Rome against the Irish Church. He left the earliest account we have of the state of Palestine in the early ages of the Church; but of even more value is his _Vita Sancti Columbae_, giving a minute account of the condition and discipline of the church of Iona. He _d._ 704.

ADAMS, FRANCIS, W.L. (1862-1893).--Novelist, was _b._ at Malta, and _ed._ at schools at Shrewsbury and in Paris. In 1882 he went to Australia, and was on the staff of _The Sydney Bulletin_. In 1884 he _publ._ his autobiographical novel, _Leicester_, and in 1888 _Songs of the Army of the Night_, which created a sensation in Sydney. His remaining important work is _Tiberius_ (1894), a striking drama in which a new view of the character of the Emperor is presented. He _d._ by his own hand at Alexandria in a fit of depression caused by hopeless illness.

ADDISON, JOSEPH (1672-1719).--Poet, essayist and statesman, was the _s._ of Lancelot Addison, Dean of Lichfield. _B._ near Amesbury, Wilts., A.

went to the Charterhouse where he made the acquaintance of Steele (_q.v._), and then at the age of fifteen to Oxford where he had a distinguished career, being specially noted for his Latin verse. Intended at first for the Church, various circ.u.mstances combined to lead him towards literature and politics. His first attempts in English verse took the form of complimentary addresses, and were so successful as to obtain for him the friendship and interest of Dryden, and of Lord Somers, by whose means he received, in 1699, a pension of 300 to enable him to travel on the continent with a view to diplomatic employment. He visited Italy, whence he addressed his _Epistle_ to his friend Halifax. Hearing of the death of William III., an event which lost him his pension, he returned to England in the end of 1703. For a short time his circ.u.mstances were somewhat straitened, but the battle of Blenheim in 1704 gave him a fresh opportunity of distinguishing himself. The government wished the event commemorated by a poem; A. was commissioned to write this, and produced _The Campaign_, which gave such satisfaction that he was forthwith appointed a Commissioner of Appeals. His next literary venture was an account of his travels in Italy, which was followed by the opera of _Rosamund_. In 1705, the Whigs having obtained the ascendency, A. was made Under-Secretary of State and accompanied Halifax on a mission to Hanover, and in 1708 was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland and Keeper of the Records of that country. It was at this period that A. found his true vocation and laid the foundations of his real fame. In 1709 Steele began to bring out the _Tatler_, to which A. became almost immediately a contributor: thereafter he (with Steele) started the _Spectator_, the first number of which appeared on March 1, 1711. This paper, which at first appeared daily, was kept up (with a break of about a year and a half when the _Guardian_ took its place) until Dec. 20, 1714. In 1713 the drama of _Cato_ appeared, and was received with acclamation by both Whigs and Tories, and was followed by the comedy of the _Drummer_. His last undertaking was _The Freeholder_, a party paper (1715-16). The later events in the life of A., viz., his marriage in 1716 to the Dowager Countess of Warwick, to whose son he had been tutor and his promotion to be Secretary of State did not contribute to his happiness. His wife appears to have been arrogant and imperious; his step-son the Earl was a rake and unfriendly to him; while in his public capacity his invincible shyness made him of little use in Parliament. He resigned his office in 1718, and, after a period of ill-health, _d._ at Holland House, June 17, 1719, in his 48th year.

Besides the works above mentioned, he wrote a _Dialogue on Medals_, and left unfinished a work on the Evidences of Christianity. The character of A., if somewhat cool and unimpa.s.sioned, was pure, magnanimous, and kind.

The charm of his manners and conversation made him one of the most popular and admired men of his day; and while he laid his friends under obligations for substantial favours, he showed the greatest forbearance towards his few enemies. His style in his essays is remarkable for its ease, clearness, and grace, and for an inimitable and sunny humour which never soils and never hurts. The motive power of these writings has been called "an enthusiasm for conduct." Their effect was to raise the whole standard of manners and expression both in life and in literature. The only flaw in his character was a tendency to convivial excess, which must be judged in view of the laxer manners of his time. When allowance has been made for this, he remains one of the most admirable characters and writers in English literature.

SUMMARY.--_B._ Amesbury, _ed._ Charterhouse and Oxford; received travelling pension, 1699; _Campaign_ (1704) leads to political office; goes to Ireland, 1708; a.s.sists Steele in _Tatler_, 1709; _Spectator_ started, 1711; marries Lady Warwick, 1716; Secretary of State, 1716-18; _d._ 1719.

Lives in _Biographica Britannica_, _Dict. of Nat. Biog._, _Johnson's Lives of Poets_, and by Lucy Aikin, Macaulay's _Essay_, Drake's _Essays Ill.u.s.trative of Tatler, Guardian, and Spectator_; Pope's and Swift's Correspondence, etc.

The best edition of the books is that in _Bohn's British Cla.s.sics_ (6 vols., 1856); others are Tickell's (4 vols., 1721); _Baskerville_ edit.

(4 vols., 1761); Hurd's (6 vols., 1811); Greene's (1856); Dent's _Spectator_ (1907).

ADOLPHUS, JOHN (1768-1845).--Historian, studied law and was called to the Bar in 1807. He wrote _Biographical Memoirs of the French Revolution_ (1799) and _History of England from_ 1760-1783 (1802), and other historical and biographical works.

aeLFRED (849-901).--King of the West Saxons, and writer and translator, _s._ of Ethelwulf, _b._ at Wantage. Besides being the deliverer of his country from the ravages of the Danes, and the restorer of order and civil government, _ae._ has earned the t.i.tle of the father of English prose writing. The earlier part of his life was filled with war and action, most of the details regarding which are more or less legendary.

But no sooner had he become King of Wess.e.x, in 871, than he began to prepare for the work of re-introducing learning into his country.

Gathering round him the few scholars whom the Danes had left, and sending for others from abroad, he endeavoured to form a literary cla.s.s. His chief helper in his great enterprise was a.s.ser of St. David's, who taught him Latin, and became his biographer in a "life" which remains the best original authority for the period. Though not a literary artist, ae. had the best qualities of the scholar, including an insatiable love alike for the acquisition and the communication of knowledge. He translated several of the best books then existing, not, however, in a slavish fashion, but editing and adding from his own stores. In all his work his main desire was the good of his people. Among the books he translated or edited were (1) _The Handbook_, a collection of extracts on religious subjects; (2) _The Cura Pastoralis_, or Herdsman's book of Gregory the Great, with a preface by himself which is the first English prose; (3) _Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English_; (4) _The English Chronicle_, which, already brought up to 855, he continued up to the date of writing; it is probably by his own hand; (5) Orosius's _History of the World_, which he adapted for English readers with many historical and geographical additions; (6) the _De Consolatione Philosophiae_ of Boethius; and (7) a translation of some of the Psalms. He also made a collection of the best laws of his predecessors, Ethelbert, Ine, and Offa. It has been said "although King Alfred lived a thousand years ago, a thousand years hence, if there be England then, his memory will yet be precious to his country."

aeLFRIC (955-_c._ 1022).--Called Grammaticus (10th century), sometimes confounded with two other persons of the same name, ae. of Canterbury and ae. of York, was a monk at Winchester, and afterwards Abbot of Cerne and Eynsham successively. He has left works which shed an important light on the doctrine and practice of the early Church in England, including two books of homilies (990-94), a _Grammar_, _Glossary_, _Pa.s.siones Sanctorum_ (Sufferings of the Saints), translations of parts of the Bible with omissions and interpolations, _Canones aelfrici_, and other theological treatises. His writings had an influence on the formation of English prose. He filled in his age somewhat the same position that Bede did in his, that of a compiler and populariser of existing knowledge.

AGUILAR, GRACE (1816-1847).--Novelist and writer on Jewish history and religion, was _b._ at Hackney of Jewish parents of Spanish descent. She was delicate from childhood, and early showed great interest in history, especially Jewish. The death of her _f._ threw her on her own resources.

After a few dramas and poems she _pub._ in America in 1842 _Spirit of Judaism_, and in 1845 _The Jewish Faith_ and _The Women of Israel_. She is, however, best known by her novels, of which the chief are _Home Influence_ (1847) and _A Mother's Recompense_ (1850). Her health gave way in 1847, and she _d._ in that year at Frankfort.

AIKIN, JOHN (1747-1822).--Miscellaneous writer, _s._ of Dr. John A., Unitarian divine, _b._ at Kibworth, studied medicine at Edinburgh and London, and received degree of M.D. at Leyden. He began practice at Yarmouth but, one of his pamphlets having given offence, he removed to London, where he obtained some success in his profession, devoting all his leisure to literature, to which his contributions were incessant.

These consisted of pamphlets, translations, and miscellaneous works, some in conjunction with his sister, Mrs. Barbauld. Among his chief works are _England Delineated_, _General Biography_ in 10 vols., and lives of Selden and Ussher.

AIKIN, LUCY (1781-1864).--Historical and miscellaneous writer, _dau._ of above and niece of Mrs. Barbauld (_q.v._). After _pub._ a poem, _Epistles on Women_, and a novel, _Lorimer_, she began the historical works on which her reputation chiefly rests, viz., _Memoirs of the Courts of Elizabeth, James I., and Charles I._ (1818-33) and a _Life of Addison_. She also wrote lives of her father and of Mrs. Barbauld. She was remarkable for her conversational powers, and was also an admirable letter-writer. Like the rest of her family she was a Unitarian.

AINGER, ALFRED (1837-1904).--Biographer and critic, _s._ of an architect in London, _grad._ at Cambridge, entered the Church, and, after holding various minor preferments, became Master of the Temple. He wrote memoirs of Hood and Crabbe, but is best known for his biography of Lamb and his edition of his works in 6 vols. (1883-88).

AINSWORTH, WILLIAM HARRISON (1805-1882).--Novelist, _s._ of a solicitor, was _b._ in Manchester. He was destined for the legal profession, which, however, had no attraction for him; and going to London to complete his studies made the acquaintance of Mr. John Ebers, publisher, and at that time manager of the Opera House, by whom he was introduced to literary and dramatic circles, and whose _dau._ he afterwards married. For a short time he tried the publishing business, but soon gave it up and devoted himself to journalism and literature. His first successful novel was _Rookwood_, _pub._ in 1834, of which d.i.c.k Turpin is the leading character, and thenceforward he continued to pour forth till 1881 a stream of novels, to the number of 39, of which the best known are _The Tower of London_ (1840), _Old St. Paul's_ (1841), _Lancashire Witches_, and _The Constable of the Tower_. The t.i.tles of some of his other novels are _Crichton_ (1837), _Jack Sheppard_ (1839), _Guy Fawkes_, _The Star Chamber_, _The Flitch of Bacon_, _The Miser's Daughter_ (1842), and _Windsor Castle_ (1843). A. depends for his effects on striking situations and powerful descriptions: he has little humour or power of delineating character.

AIRD, THOMAS (1802-1876).--Poet, _b._ at Bowden, Roxburghshire, went to Edinburgh, where he became the friend of Professor Wilson, Carlyle, and other men of letters. He contributed to _Blackwood's Magazine_, and was editor of the _Dumfries Herald_ (1835-63). His chief poem is _The Captive of Fez_ (1830); and in prose he wrote _Religious Characteristics_, and _The Old Bachelor in the Old Scottish Village_ (1848), all of which were received with favour. Carlyle said that in his poetry he found everywhere "a healthy breath as of mountain breezes."

AKENSIDE, MARK (1721-1770).--Poet, _s._ of a butcher at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, gave early indications of talent, and was sent to the University of Edinburgh with the view of becoming a dissenting minister. While there, however, he changed his mind and studied for the medical profession. Thereafter he went to Leyden, where he took his degree of M.D. in 1744. While there he wrote his princ.i.p.al poem, _The Pleasures of the Imagination_, which was well received, and was subsequently translated into more than one foreign language. After trying Northampton, he settled as a physician in London; but was for long largely dependent for his livelihood on a Mr. Dyson. His talents brought him a good deal of consideration in society, but the solemn and pompous manner which he affected laid him open to some ridicule, and he is said to have been satirised by Smollett (_q.v._) in his _Peregrine Pickle_. He endeavoured to reconstruct his poem, but the result was a failure. His collected poems were _pub._ 1772. His works, however, are now little read. Mr. Gosse has described him as "a sort of frozen Keats."

ALCOTT, LOUISA M. (1832-1888).--Writer of juvenile and other tales, _dau._ of Amos Bronson Alcott, an educational and social theorist, lecturer, and author, was _b._ in Pennsylvania. During the American civil war she served as a nurse, and afterwards attained celebrity as a writer of books for young people, of which the best is _Little Women_ (1868).

Others are _Little Men_ and _Jo's Boys_. She also wrote novels, including _Moods_ and _Work_.