A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature Part 15

DORSET, THOMAS SACKVILLE, 1ST EARL of, AND LORD BUCKHURST (1536-1608).--Poet and statesman, was _b._ at Buckhurst, Suss.e.x, the only _s._ of Sir Richard S., and _ed._ at Oxf. and Camb. He studied law at the Inner Temple, and while there wrote, in conjunction with Thomas Norton, _Ferren and Porrex_ or _Gerboduc_ (1561-2), the first regular English tragedy. A little later he planned _The Mirror for Magistrates_, which was to have been a series of narratives of distinguished Englishmen, somewhat on the model of Boccaccio's _Falls of Princes_. Finding the plan too large, he handed it over to others--seven poets in all being engaged upon it--and himself contributed two poems only, one on _Buckingham_, the confederate, and afterwards the victim, of Richard III., and an _Induction_ or introduction, which const.i.tute nearly the whole value of the work. In these poems S. becomes the connecting link between Chaucer and Spenser. They are distinguished by strong invention and imaginative power, and a stately and sombre grandeur of style. S. played a prominent part in the history of his time, and held many high offices, including those of Lord Steward and Lord Treasurer, the latter of which he held from 1599 till his death. It fell to him to announce to Mary Queen of Scots the sentence of death.

DOUCE, FRANCIS (1757-1834).--Antiquary, _b._ in London, was for some time in the British Museum. He _pub._ _Ill.u.s.trations of Shakespeare_ (1807), and a dissertation on _The Dance of Death_ (1833).

DOUGLAS, GAVIN (1474?-1522).--Poet, 3rd _s._ of the 5th Earl of Angus, was _b._ about 1474, and _ed._ at St. Andrews for the Church. Promotion came early, and he was in 1501 made Provost of St. Giles, Edin., and in 1514 Abbot of Aberbrothock, and Archbishop of St. Andrews. But the times were troublous, and he had hardly received these latter preferments when he was deprived of them. He was, however, named Bishop of Dunkeld in 1514 and, after some difficulty, and undergoing imprisonment, was confirmed in the see. In 1520 he was again driven forth, and two years later _d._ of the plague in London. His princ.i.p.al poems are _The Palace of Honour_ (1501), and _King Hart_, both allegorical; but his great achievement was his translation of the _aeneid_ in ten-syllabled metre, the first translation into English of a cla.s.sical work. D.'s language is more archaic than that of some of his predecessors, his rhythm is rough and unequal, but he had fire, and a power of vivid description, and his allegories are ingenious and felicitous.

_Coll._ ed. of works by John Small, LL.D., 4 vols., 1874.

DOYLE, SIR FRANCIS HASTINGS (1810-1888).--Poet, belonged to a military family which produced several distinguished officers, including his _f._, who bore the same name. He was _b._ near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, and _ed._ at Eton and Oxf. Studying law he was called to the Bar in 1837, and afterwards held various high fiscal appointments, becoming in 1869 Commissioner of Customs. In 1834 he _pub._ _Miscellaneous Verses_, followed by _Two Destinies_ (1844), _Oedipus, King of Thebes_ (1849), and _Return of the Guards_ (1866). He was elected in 1867 Prof. of Poetry at Oxf. D.'s best work is his ballads, which include _The Red Thread of Honour_, _The Private of the Buffs_, and _The Loss of the Birkenhead_. In his longer poems his genuine poetical feeling was not equalled by his power of expression, and much of his poetry is commonplace.

DRAKE, JOSEPH RODMAN (1795-1820).--Poet, _b._ at New York, studied medicine, _d._ of consumption. He collaborated with F. Halleck in the _Croaker Papers_, and wrote "The Culprit Fay" and "The American Flag."

DRAPER, JOHN WILLIAM (1811-1882).--Historian, _b._ at St. Helen's, Lancashire, emigrated to Virginia, and was a prof. in the Univ. of New York. He wrote _History of the American Civil War_ (1867-70), _History of the Intellectual Development of Europe_ (1863), and _History of the Conflict between Science and Religion_ (1874), besides treatises on various branches of science.

DRAYTON, MICHAEL (1563-1631).--Poet, _b._ in Warwickshire, was in early life page to a gentleman, and was possibly at Camb. or Oxf. His earliest poem, _The Harmonie of the Church_, was destroyed. His next was _The Shepherd's Garland_ (1593), afterwards reprinted as _Eclogues_. Three historical poems, _Gaveston_ (1593), _Matilda_ (1594), and _Robert, Duke of Normandie_ (1596) followed, and he then appears to have collaborated with Dekker, Webster, and others in dramatic work. His _magnum opus_, however, was _Polyolbion_ (1613?), a topographical description of England in twelve-syllabled verse, full of antiquarian and historical details, so accurate as to make the work an authority on such matters. The rushing verse is full of vigour and gusto. Other poems of D. are _The Wars of the Barons_ (1603), _England's Heroical Epistles_ (1598) (being imaginary letters between Royal lovers such as Henry II. and Rosamund), _Poems, Lyric and Heroic_ (1606) (including the fine ballad of "Agincourt"), _Nymphidia_, his most graceful work, _Muses Elizium_, and _Idea's Mirrour_, a collection of sonnets, Idea being the name of the lady to whom they were addressed. Though often heavy, D. had the true poetic gift, had pa.s.sages of grandeur, and sang the praises of England with the heart of a patriot.

DRUMMOND, HENRY (1851-1897).--Theological and scientific writer, _b._ at Stirling, and _ed._ at Edin., he studied for the ministry of the Free Church. Having a decided scientific bent he gave himself specially to the study of geology, and made a scientific tour in the Rocky Mountains with Sir A. Geikie. Some years later he undertook a geological exploration of Lake Nya.s.sa and the neighbouring country for the African Lakes Corporation, and brought home a valuable Report. He also _pub._ _Tropical Africa_, a vivid account of his travels. He became much a.s.sociated with the American evangelist, D.L. Moody, and became an extremely effective speaker on religious subjects, devoting himself specially to young men.

His chief contribution to literature was his _Natural Law in the Spiritual World_, which had extraordinary popularity. _The Ascent of Man_ was less successful. D. was a man of great personal fascination, and wrote in an interesting and suggestive manner, but his reasoning in his scientific works was by no means una.s.sailable.

DRUMMOND, WILLIAM (1585-1649).--Poet, was descended from a very ancient family, and through Annabella D., Queen of Robert III., related to the Royal House. _Ed._ at Edin. Univ., he studied law on the Continent, but succeeding in 1610 to his paternal estate of Hawthornden, he devoted himself to poetry. _Tears on the Death of Meliades_ (Prince Henry) appeared in 1613, and in 1616 _Poems, Amorous, Funerall, Divine, etc._ His finest poem, _Forth Feasting_ (1617), is addressed to James VI. on his revisiting Scotland. D. was also a prose-writer, and composed a _History of the Five Jameses, Kings of Scotland from 1423-1524_, and _The Cypress Grove_, a meditation on death. He was also a mechanical genius, and patented 16 inventions. D., though a Scotsman, wrote in the cla.s.sical English of the day, and was the friend of his princ.i.p.al literary contemporaries, notably of Ben Jonson, who visited him at Hawthornden, on which occasion D. preserved notes of his conversations, not always flattering. For this he has received much blame, but it must be remembered that he did not _pub._ them. As a poet he belonged to the school of Spenser. His verse is sweet, flowing, and harmonious. He excelled as a writer of sonnets, one of which, on _John the Baptist_, has a suggestion of Milton.

_Life_ by Prof. Ma.s.son (1873), _Three Centuries of Scottish Literature_, Walker, 1893. _Maitland Club_ ed. of _Poems_ (1832).

DRYDEN, JOHN (1631-1700).--Poet, dramatist, and satirist, was _b._ at Aldwincle Rectory, Northamptonshire. His _f._, from whom he inherited a small estate, was Erasmus, 3rd _s._ of Sir Erasmus Driden; his mother was Mary Pickering, also of good family; both families belonged to the Puritan side in politics and religion. He was _ed._ at Westminster School and Trinity Coll., Camb., and thereafter, in 1657, came to London. While at coll. he had written some not very successful verse. His _Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell_ (1658) was his first considerable poem. It was followed, in 1660, by _Astraea Redux_, in honour of the Restoration. The interval of 18 months had been crowded with events, and though much has been written against his apparent change of opinion, it is fair to remember that the whole cast of his mind led him to be a supporter of _de facto_ authority. In 1663 he _m._ Lady Elizabeth Howard, _dau._ of the Earl of Berkshire. The Restoration introduced a revival of the drama in its most debased form, and for many years D. was a prolific playwright, but though his vigorous powers enabled him to work effectively in this department, as in every other in which he engaged, it was not his natural line, and happily his fame does not rest upon his plays, which are deeply stained with the immorality of the age. His first effort, _The Wild Gallant_ (1663), was a failure; his next, _The Rival Ladies_, a tragi-comedy, established his reputation, and among his other dramas may be mentioned _The Indian Queene_, _Amboyna_ (1673), _Tyrannic Love_ (1669), _Almanzar and Almahide_ (ridiculed in Buckingham's _Rehearsal_) (1670), _Arungzebe_ (1675), _All for Love_ (an adaptation of Shakespeare's _Antony and Cleopatra_) (1678). During the great plague, 1665, D. left London, and lived with his father-in-law at Charleton. On his return he _pub._ his first poem of real power, _Annus Mirabilis_, of which the subjects were the great fire, and the Dutch War. In 1668 appeared his _Essay on Dramatic Poetry_ in the form of a dialogue, fine alike as criticism and as prose. Two years later (1670) he became Poet Laureate and Historiographer Royal with a pension of 300 a year. D. was now in prosperous circ.u.mstances, having received a portion with his wife, and besides the salaries of his appointments, and his profits from literature, holding a valuable share in the King's play-house. In 1671 G.

Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, produced his _Rehearsal_, in ridicule of the overdone heroics of the prevailing drama, and satirising D. as Mr.

Bayes. To this D. made no immediate reply, but bided his time. The next years were devoted to the drama. But by this time public affairs were a.s.suming a critical aspect. A large section of the nation was becoming alarmed at the prospect of the succession of the Duke of York, and a restoration of popery, and Shaftesbury was supposed to be promoting the claims of the Duke of Monmouth. And now D. showed; his full powers. The first part of _Absalom and Achitophel_ appeared in 1681, in which Charles figures as "David," Shaftesbury as "Achitophel," Monmouth as "Absalom,"

Buckingham as "Zimri," in the short but crushing delineation of whom the attack of the _Rehearsal_ was requited in the most ample measure. The effect; of the poem was tremendous. Nevertheless the indictment against Shaftesbury for high treason was ignored by the Grand Jury at the Old Bailey, and in honour of the event a medal was struck, which gave a t.i.tle to D.'s next stroke. His _Medal_ was issued in 1682. The success of these wonderful poems raised a storm round D. Replies were forthcoming in Elkanah Settle's _Absalom and Achitophel Transposed_, and Pordage's _Azaria and Hushai_. These compositions, especially Pordage's, were comparatively moderate. Far otherwise was Shadwell's _Medal of John Bayes_, one of the most brutal and indecent pieces in the language. D.'s revenge--and an ample one--was the publication of _MacFlecknoe_, a satire in which all his opponents, but especially Shadwell, were held up to the loathing and ridicule of succeeding ages, and others had conferred, upon them an immortality which, however unenviable, no efforts of their own could have secured for them. Its immediate effect was to crush and silence all his a.s.sailants. The following year, 1683, saw the publication of _Religio Laici_ (the religion of a layman). In 1686 D. joined the Church of Rome, for which he has by some been blamed for time-serving of the basest kind. On the other hand his consistency and conscientiousness have by others been as strongly maintained. The change, which was announced by the publication, in 1687 of _The Hind and the Panther, a Defence of the Roman Church_, at all events did not bring with it any worldly advantages. It was parodied by C. Montague and Prior in the _Town and Country Mouse_. At the Revolution D. was deprived of all his pensions and appointments, including the Laureateship, in which he was succeeded by his old enemy Shadwell. His latter years were pa.s.sed in comparative poverty, although the Earl of Dorset and other old friends contributed by their liberality to lighten his cares. In these circ.u.mstances he turned again to the drama, which, however, was no longer what it had been as a source of income. To this period belong _Don Sebastian_, and his last play, _Love Triumphant_. A new mine, however, was beginning to be opened up in the demand for translations which had arisen. This gave D. a new opportunity, and he produced, in addition to translations from Juvenal and Perseus, his famous "Virgil" (1697). About the same time appeared _The Ode for St. Cecilia's Day_, and _Alexander's Feast_, and in 1700, the year of his death, the _Fables_, largely adaptations from Chaucer and Boccaccio. In his own line, that of argument, satire, and declamation, D.

is without a rival in our literature: he had little creative imagination and no pathos. His dramas, which in bulk are the greatest part of his work, add almost nothing to his fame; in them he was meeting a public demand, not following the native bent of his genius. In his satires, and in such poems as _Alexander's Feast_, he rises to the highest point of his powers in a verse swift and heart-stirring. In prose his style is clear, strong, and nervous. He seems to have been almost insensible to the beauty of Nature.

SUMMARY.--_B._ 1631, _ed._ Westminster and Camb., became prolific playwright, _pub._ _Annus Mirabilis_ _c._ 1666, Poet Laureate 1667, _pub._ _Absalom and Achitophel_ (part 1) 1681, _Medal_ 1682, _MacFlecknoe_ 1682, _Religio Laici_ 1683, joined Church of Rome 1686, _pub._ _Hind and Panther_ 1687, deprived of offices and pensions at Revolution 1688, _pub._ translations including "Virgil" 1697, _St.

Cecilia's Day_ and _Alexander's Feast_ _c._ 1697, and _Fables_ 1700, when he _d._

Sir W. Scott's ed. with _Life_ 1808, re-edited in 18 vols. by Prof.

Saintsbury (1883-93); Aldine ed. (5 vols., 1892), Johnson's _Lives of the Poets_, etc.

DUFF, SIR MOUNTSTUART E. GRANT (1829-1906).--Miscellaneous writer, was M.P. for the Elgin Burghs, and Lieut.-Governor of Madras. He _pub._ _Studies of European Politics_, books on Sir H. Maine, Lord de Tabley, and Renan, and a series of _Notes from a Diary_, perhaps his most interesting work.

DUFFERIN, HELEN SELENA (SHERIDAN), COUNTESS OF (1807-1867).--Eldest _dau._ of Tom S., grand-daughter of Richard Brinsley S. (_q.v._), and sister of Mrs. Norton (_q.v._). She and her two sisters were known as "the three Graces," the third being the d.u.c.h.ess of Somerset. She shared in the family talent, and wrote a good deal of verse, her best known piece being perhaps _The Lament of the Irish Emigrant_, beginning "I'm sittin' on the stile, Mary." She also wrote _Lispings from Low Lat.i.tudes, or Extracts from the Journal of the Hon. Impulsia Gushington_, _Finesse, or a Busy Day at Messina_, etc.

DUFFY, SIR CHARLES GAVAN (1816-1903).--Poet, _b._ in Monaghan, early took to journalism, and became one of the founders of the _Nature_ newspaper, and one of the leaders of the Young Ireland movement. Thereafter he went to Australia, where he became a leading politician, and rose to be Premier of Victoria. His later years were spent chiefly on the Continent.

He did much to stimulate in Ireland a taste for the national history and literature, started _The Library of Ireland_, and made a collection, _The Ballad Poetry of Ireland_, which was a great success. He also _pub._ an autobiography, _My Life in Two Hemispheres_.

DUGDALE, SIR WILLIAM (1605-1686).--Herald and antiquary, was _b._ at Coleshill, Warwickshire, and _ed._ at Coventry School. From early youth he showed a strong bent towards heraldic and antiquarian studies, which led to his appointment, in 1638, as a Pursuivant-extraordinary, from which he rose to be Garter-King-at-Arms. In 1655, jointly with Roger Dodsworth, he brought out the first vol. of _Monasticon Anglicanum_ (the second following in 1661, and the third in 1673), containing the charters of the ancient monasteries. In 1656 he _pub._ the _Antiquities of Warwickshire_, which maintains a high place among county histories, and in 1666 _Origines Judiciales_. His great work, _The Baronage of England_, appeared in 1675-6. Other works were a _History of Imbanking and Drayning_, and a _History of St. Paul's Cathedral_. All D.'s writings are monuments of learning and patient investigation.

DU MAURIER, GEORGE LOUIS PALMELLA BUSSON (1834-1896).--Artist and novelist, _b._ and _ed._ in Paris, in 1864 succeeded John Leech on the staff of _Punch_. His three novels, _Peter Ibbetson_ (1891), _Trilby_ (1894), and _The Martian_ (1896), originally appeared in _Harper's Magazine_.

DUNBAR, WILLIAM (1465?-1530?).--Poet, is believed to have been _b._ in Lothian, and _ed._ at St. Andrews, and in his earlier days he was a Franciscan friar. Thereafter he appears to have been employed by James IV. in some Court and political matters. His chief poems are _The Thrissil and the Rois (The Thistle and the Rose_) (1503), _The Dance of the Seven Deadly Sins_, a powerful satire, _The Golden Targe_, an allegory, and _The Lament for the Makaris_ (poets) (_c._ 1507). In all these there is a vein of true poetry. In his allegorical poems he follows Chaucer in his setting, and is thus more or less imitative and conventional: in his satirical pieces, and in the _Lament_, he takes a bolder flight and shows his native power. His comic poems are somewhat gross. The date and circ.u.mstances of his death are uncertain, some holding that he fell at Flodden, others that he was alive so late as 1530. Other works are _The Merle_ and _The Nightingale_, and the _Flyting_ (scolding) of Dunbar and Kennedy. Mr. Gosse calls D. "the largest figure in English literature between Chaucer and Spenser." He has bright strength, swiftness, humour, and pathos, and his descriptive touch is vivid and full of colour.

DUNLOP, JOHN COLIN (_c._ 1785-1842).--Historian, _s._ of a Lord Provost of Glasgow, where and at Edin. he was _ed._, was called to the Bar in 1807, and became Sheriff of Renfrewshire. He wrote a _History of Fiction_ (1814), a _History of Roman Literature to the Augustan Age_ (1823-28), and _Memoirs of Spain during the Reigns of Philip IV. and Charles II._ (1834). He also made translations from the Latin Anthology.

DUNS, SCOTUS JOHANNES (1265?-1308?).--Schoolman. The dates of his birth and death and the place of his birth are alike doubtful. He may have been at Oxf., is said to have been a regent or prof. at Paris, and was a Franciscan. He was a man of extraordinary learning, and received the sobriquet of Doctor Subtilis. Among his many works on logic and theology are a philosophic grammar, and a work on metaphysics, _De Rerum Principio_ (of the beginning of things). His great opponent was Thomas Aquinas, and schoolmen of the day were divided into Scotists and Thomists, or realists and nominalists.

D'URFEY, THOMAS (1653-1723).--Dramatist and song-writer, was a well-known man-about-town, a companion of Charles II., and lived on to the reign of George I. His plays are now forgotten, and he is best known in connection with a collection of songs ent.i.tled, _Pills to Purge Melancholy_. Addison describes him as a "diverting companion," and "a cheerful, honest, good-natured man." His writings are nevertheless extremely gross. His plays include _Siege of Memphis_ (1676), _Madame Fickle_ (1677), _Virtuous Wife_ (1680), and _The Campaigners_ (1698).

DWIGHT, TIMOTHY (1752-1817).--Theologian and poet, _b._ at Northampton, Ma.s.s., was a grandson of Jonathan Edwards, became a Congregationalist minister, Prof. of Divinity, and latterly Pres. of Yale. His works include, besides theological treatises and sermons, the following poems, _America_ (1772), _The Conquest of Canaan_ (1785), and _The Triumph of Infidelity_, a satire, admired in their day, but now unreadable.

DYCE, ALEXANDER (1798-1869).--Scholar and critic, _s._ of Lieut.-General Alexander D., was _b._ in Edin., and _ed._ there and at Oxf. He took orders, and for a short time served in two country curacies. Then, leaving the Church and settling in London, he betook himself to his life-work of ed. the English dramatists. His first work, _Specimens of British Poetesses_, appeared in 1825; and thereafter at various intervals ed. of Collins's _Poems_, and the dramatic works of _Peele, Middleton, Beaumont and Fletcher, Marlowe, Greene, Webster_, and others. His great ed. of _Shakespeare_ in 9 vols. appeared in 1857. He also ed. various works for the Camden Society, and _pub._ _Table Talk of Samuel Rogers_.

All D.'s work is marked by varied and accurate learning, minute research, and solid judgment.

DYER, SIR EDWARD (1545?-1607).--Poet, _b._ at Sharpham Park, Somerset, and _ed._ at Oxf., was introduced to the Court by the Earl of Leicester, and sent on a mission to Denmark, 1589. He was in 1596 made Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, and knighted. In his own day he had a reputation for his elegies among such judges as Sidney and Puttenham. For a long time there was doubt as to what poems were to be attributed to him, but about a dozen pieces have now been apparently identified as his. The best known is that on contentment beginning, "My mind to me a kingdom is."

DYER, JOHN (1700-1758).--Poet, was _b._ in Caermarthenshire. In his early years he studied painting, but finding that he was not likely to attain a satisfactory measure of success, entered the Church. He has a definite, if a modest, place in literature as the author of three poems, _Grongar Hill_ (1727), _The Ruins of Rome_ (1740), and _The Fleece_ (1757). The first of these is the best, and the best known, and contains much true natural description; but all have pa.s.sages of considerable poetical merit, delicacy and precision of phrase being their most noticeable characteristic. Wordsworth had a high opinion of D. as a poet, and addressed a sonnet to him.

EARLE, JOHN (1601-1665).--Divine and miscellaneous writer, _b._ at York, and _ed._ at Oxf., where he was a Fellow of Merton. He took orders, was tutor to Charles II., a member of the a.s.sembly of Divines at Westminster, 1643, Chaplain and Clerk of the Closet to Charles when in exile. On the Restoration he was made Dean of Westminster, in 1662 Bishop of Worcester, and the next year Bishop of Salisbury. He was learned and eloquent, witty and agreeable in society, and was opposed to the "Conventicle" and "Five Mile" Acts, and to all forms of persecution. He wrote _Hortus Mertonensis_ (the Garden of Merton) in Latin, but his chief work was _Microcosmographie, or a Piece of the World discovered in Essays and Characters_ (1628), the best and most interesting of all the "character"

books.

EASTLAKE, ELIZABETH, LADY (RIGBY) (1809-1893).--_dau._ of Dr. Edward Rigby of Norwich, a writer on medical and agricultural subjects, spent her earlier life on the Continent and in Edin. In 1849 she _m._ Sir Charles L. Eastlake, the famous painter, and Pres. of the Royal Academy.

Her first work was _Letters from the Sh.o.r.es of the Baltic_ (1841). From 1842 she was a frequent contributor to the _Quarterly Review_, in which she wrote a very bitter criticism of _Jane Eyre_. She also wrote various books on art, and Lives of her husband, of Mrs. Grote, and of Gibson the sculptor, and was a leader in society.

ECHARD, LAURENCE (_c._ 1670-1730).--Historian, _b._ at Barsham, Suffolk, and _ed._ at Camb., took orders and became Archdeacon of Stow. He translated Terence, part of Plautus, D'Orleans' _History of the Revolutions in England_, and made numerous compilations on history, geography, and the cla.s.sics. His chief work, however, is his _History of England_ (1707-1720). It covers the period from the Roman occupation to his own times, and continued to be the standard work on the subject until it was superseded by translations of Rapin's French _History of England_.

EDGEWORTH, MARIA (1767-1849).--Novelist, only child of Richard E., of Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, was _b._ near Reading. Her _f._, who was himself a writer on education and mechanics, bestowed much attention on her education. She showed early promise of distinction, and a.s.sisted her _f._ in his literary labours, especially in _Practical Education_ and _Essay on Irish Bulls_ (1802). She soon discovered that her strength lay in fiction, and from 1800, when her first novel, _Castle Rackrent_, appeared, until 1834, when her last, _Helen_, was _pub._, she continued to produce a series of novels and tales characterised by ingenuity of invention, humour, and acute delineation of character. Notwithstanding a tendency to be didactic, and the presence of a "purpose" in most of her writings, their genuine talent and interest secured for them a wide popularity. It was the success of Miss E. in delineating Irish character that suggested to Sir W. Scott the idea of rendering a similar service to Scotland. Miss E., who had great practical ability, was able to render much aid during the Irish famine. In addition to the works above mentioned, she wrote _Moral Tales_ and _Belinda_ (1801), _Leonora_ (1806), _Tales of Fashionable Life_ (1809 and 1812), and a Memoir of her _f._