BURNET, GILBERT (1643-1715).—Theologian and historian, s. of a Royalist and Episcopalian lawyer, who became a judge, and of the sister of Johnston of Warristoun, a leader of the Covenanters, wasb.in Edin., anded.at Aberdeen and at Amsterdam, where he studied Hebrew under a Rabbi. Returning to Scotland, he was successively Episcopal minister at Saltoun and Prof. ofDivinity in Glasgow (1669), and was then offered, but declined, a Scotch bishopric. His energetic and bustling character led him to take an active part in the controversies of the time, and he endeavoured to bring about a reconciliation between Episcopacy and Presbytery. Going to London he was in some favour with Charles II., from whom he received various preferments. His literary reputation was greatly enhanced by the publication in 1679 of the first vol. of hisHistory of the Reformation of the Church of England, for which he received the thanks of Parliament, and which was completed by other two vols., in 1682 and 1714. On account of a letter of reproof which he ventured to write to the King, he lost favour at Court, and the policy pursued by James II. being very repugnant to him, he betook himself in 1687 to Holland, where he became one of the advisers of the Prince of Orange. Returning to England at the Revolution, he was made Bishop of Salisbury, which office he adorned by liberal views and a zealous discharge of duty. The work by which his fame is chiefly sustained, hisHistory of my Own Times, was, by his direction, not to bepub.until 6 years after his death. It appeared in 1723. It gives a sketch of the history of the Civil Wars and Commonwealth, and a detailed account of the immediately succeeding period down to 1713. While not free from egotism and some party feeling, it is written with a sincere desire for accuracy and fairness, and it has largely the authority of an eye-witness. The style, if somewhat lacking in dignity, is lively and picturesque. Among his other writings are aHistory of the Dukes of Hamilton, and anExposition of the 39 Articles.
His principal works have been repeatedly printed. Clarendon Press ed. ofMy Own Timesby Routh (1823 and 1833).
BURNET, THOMAS (1635?-1715).—Theologian and writer on cosmogony, wasb.at Croft near Darlington, anded.at Camb., and became Master of Charterhouse and Clerk of the Closet to William III. His literary fame rests on hisTelluris Theoria Sacra, or Sacred Theory of the Earth,pub.about 1692, first in Latin and afterwards in English, a work which, in absence of all scientific knowledge of the earth's structure, was necessarily a mere speculative cosmogony. It is written, however, with much eloquence. Some of the views expressed in another work,Archæolgiæ Philosophicæ, were, however, so unacceptable to contemporary theologians that he had to resign his post at Court.
BURNS, ROBERT (1759-1796).—Poet, wasb.near Ayr, thes.of William Burness or Burns, a small farmer, and a man of considerable force of character and self-culture. His youth was passed in poverty, hardship, and a degree of severe manual labour which left its traces in a premature stoop and weakened constitution. He had little regular schooling, and got much of what education he had from his father, who taught his children reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history, and also wrote for them "A Manual of Christian Belief." With all his ability and character, however, the elder B. was consistently unfortunate, and migrated with his large family from farm to farm without ever being able to improve his circumstances. In 1781 Robert went to Irvine to become a flax-dresser, but, as the result of a New Year carousal of the workmen,including himself, the shop took fire and was burned to the ground. This venture accordingly came to an end. In 1784 thef.died, and B. with his brother Gilbert made an ineffectual struggle to keep on the farm; failing in which they removed to Mossgiel, where they maintained an uphill fight for 4 years. Meanwhile, his love affair with Jean Armour had passed through its first stage, and the troubles in connection therewith, combined with the want of success in farming, led him to think of going to Jamaica as bookkeeper on a plantation. From this he was dissuaded by a letter fromDr. Thomas Blacklock(q.v.), and at the suggestion of his brotherpub.his poems. This first ed. was brought out at Kilmarnock in June 1786, and contained much of his best work, including "The Twa Dogs," "The Address to the Deil," "Hallowe'en," "The Cottar's Saturday Night," "The Mouse," "The Daisy," etc., many of which had been written at Mossgiel. Copies of this ed. are now extremely scarce, and as much as £550 has been paid for one. The success of the work was immediate, the poet's name rang over all Scotland, and he was induced to go to Edin. to superintend the issue of a new ed. There he was received as an equal by the brilliant circle of men of letters which the city then boasted—Dugald Stewart, Robertson, Blair, etc., and was a guest at aristocratic tables, where he bore himself with unaffected dignity. Here also Scott, then a boy of 15, saw him and describes him as of "manners rustic, not clownish. His countenance ... more massive than it looks in any of the portraits ... a strong expression of shrewdness in his lineaments; the eye alone indicated the poetical character and temperament. It was large, and of a dark cast, and literally glowed when he spoke with feeling or interest." The results of this visit outside of its immediate and practical object, included some life-long friendships, among which were those with Lord Glencairn and Mrs. Dunlop. The new ed. brought him £400. About this time the episode of Highland Mary occurred. On his return to Ayrshire he renewed his relations with Jean Armour, whom he ultimately married, took the farm of Ellisland near Dumfries, having meanwhile taken lessons in the duties of an exciseman, as a line to fall back upon should farming again prove unsuccessful. At Ellisland his society was cultivated by the local gentry. And this, together with literature and his duties in the excise, to which he had been appointed in 1789, proved too much of a distraction to admit of success on the farm, which in 1791 he gave up. Meanwhile he was writing at his best, and in 1790 had producedTam o' Shanter. About this time he was offered and declined an appointment in London on the staff of theStarnewspaper, and refused to become a candidate for a newly-created Chair of Agriculture in the Univ. of Edin., although influential friends offered to support his claims. After giving up his farm he removed to Dumfries. It was at this time that, being requested to furnish words forThe Melodies of Scotland, he responded by contributing over 100 songs, on which perhaps his claim to immortality chiefly rests, and which placed him in the front rank of lyric poets. His worldly prospects were now perhaps better than they had ever been; but he was entering upon the last and darkest period of his career. He had become soured, and moreover had alienated many of his best friends by too freelyexpressing sympathy with the French Revolution, and the then unpopular advocates of reform at home. His health began to give way; he became prematurely old, and fell into fits of despondency; and the habits of intemperance, to which he had always been more or less addicted, grew upon him. Hed.on July 21, 1797.
The genius of B. is marked by spontaneity, directness, and sincerity, and his variety is marvellous, ranging from the tender intensity of some of his lyrics through the rollicking humour and blazing wit ofTam o' Shanterto the blistering satire ofHoly Willie's PrayerandThe Holy Fair. His life is a tragedy, and his character full of flaws. But he fought at tremendous odds, and as Carlyle in his great Essay says, "Granted the ship comes into harbour with shrouds and tackle damaged, the pilot is blameworthy ... but to knowhowblameworthy, tell us first whether his voyage has been round the Globe or only to Ramsgate and the Isle of Dogs."
The books about Burns, his life and writings, are innumerable. Among the Lives are those by Currie (1800); Allan Cunningham (1834); J.G. Lockhart (1828), on which is based Carlyle's memorableEssay(whichsee). Among the famous ed. of thePoemsmay be mentioned the first (Kilmarnock 1786), Edin. (1787), and theCentenary(1896), by W.E. Henley and T.F. Henderson.
SUMMARY.—B.1759, flax-dresser at Irvine 1781, farms at Mossgiel, has love affair with Jean Armour,pub.first ed. of poems 1786, visits Edin. 1786, goes to Ellisland, became exciseman 1789,pub.songs,c.1791,d.1797.
BURTON, JOHN HILL (1809-1881).—Historian, wasb.anded.at Aberdeen, was in 1831 called to the Bar, but had little practice, and in 1854 was appointed Sec. to the Prison Board of Scotland, and in 1877 a Commissioner of Prisons. He became at an early period of his life a contributor toBlackwood's Magazineand other periodicals, and in 1846pub.a life of Hume, which attracted considerable attention, and was followed by Lives of Lord Lovat and Lord President Forbes. He began his career as an historian by the publication in 1853 ofHistory of Scotland from the Revolution to the Extinction of the last Jacobite Insurrection, to which he added (1867-70)History of Scotland from Agricola's Invasion to the Revolution, in 7 vols., thus completing a continuous narrative. Subsequently hepub.aHistory of the Reign of Queen Anne(1880). Other works of a lighter kind wereThe Book-Hunter(1862), andThe Scot Abroad(1864). B.'s historical works display much research and a spirit of candour and honesty, and have picturesque and spirited passages, but the style is unequal, and frequently lacks dignity. On the whole, however, his is regarded as the most generally trustworthy and valuable history of Scotland at present existing.
BURTON, SIR RICHARD FRANCIS (1821-1890).—Explorer and scholar,s.of an officer in the army, wasb.at Barham House, Herts, and after a somewhat desultory education abroad as well as at home, entered upon a life of travel, adventure, and military and civil service in almost every quarter of the world, including India, Africa, the nearer East, and North and South America, in the course of which he mastered 35 languages. As an official his masterfulways and spirit of adventure frequently brought him into collision with superior powers, by whom he not seldom considered himself ill-used. He was the author of upwards of 50 books on a great variety of subjects, including travels, novels, and translations, among which arePersonal Narrative of a Journey to Mecca(1855),First Footprints in East Africa(1856),Lake Regions of Equatorial Africa(1860),The Nile Basin, a translation and life of Camoens, an absolutely literal translation of theArabian Nights, with notes and commentaries, of which his accomplished wifepub.an expurgated edition. Lady B., who was the companion of his travels after 1861, also wrote books on Syria, Arabia, and other eastern countries, as well as a life of her husband, a number of whose manuscripts she destroyed.
BURTON, ROBERT (1577-1640).—Miscellaneous writer,b.at Lindley, Leicestershire, anded.at Oxf., took orders, and became Vicar of St. Thomas, Oxf., 1616, and Rector of Segrave, Leicestershire, 1630. Subject to depression of spirits, he wrote as an antidote the singular book which has given him fame.The Anatomy of Melancholy, in which he appears under the name ofDemocritus Junior, waspub.in 1621, and had great popularity. In the words of Warton, "The author's variety of learning, his quotations from rare and curious books, his pedantry sparkling with rude wit and shapeless elegance ... have rendered it a repertory of amusement and information." It has also proved a store-house from which later authors have not scrupled to draw without acknowledgment. It was a favourite book of Dr. Johnson. B. was a mathematician and dabbled in astrology. When not under depression he was an amusing companion, "very merry, facete, and juvenile," and a person of "great honesty, plain dealing, and charity."
The best ed. is that of Rev. A.R. Shilleto, with introduction by A.H. Bullen (3 vols. 1893).
BURY, LADY CHARLOTTE (1775-1861).—Novelist,dau.of the 5th Duke of Argyll, andm.first to Col. J. Campbell, and second to Rev. E.J. Bury, wrote a number of novels—Flirtation,Separation,The Divorced, etc., but is chiefly remembered in connection with aDiary illustrative of the Times of George IV.(1838), a somewhat scandalous work generally, and probably correctly, ascribed to her. She also wrote some poems and two devotional works. She held for some time an appointment in the household of the Princess of Wales.
BURY, RICHARD DE (1281-1345).—S.of Sir Richard Aungerville,b.at Bury St. Edmunds, studied at Oxf., and was a Benedictine monk, became tutor to Edward III. when Prince of Wales, and Bishop of Durham, and held many offices of State. He was a patron of learning, and one of the first English collectors of books, and he wrote his work,Philobiblon, in praise of books, and founded a library at Durham.
BUTLER, JOSEPH (1692-1752).—Theologian,b.at Wantage,s.of a Presbyterian linen-draper, was destined for the ministry of that Church, but in 1714 he decided to enter the Church ofEngland, and went to Oxf. After holding various other preferments he became rector of the rich living of Stanhope, Bishop of Bristol (1738), and Bishop of Durham (1750), and was said to have refused the Primacy. In 1726 hepub.Fifteen Sermons, and in 1736The Analogy of Religion. These two books are among the most powerful and original contributions to ethics and theology which have ever been made. They depend for their effect entirely upon the force of their reasoning, for they have no graces of style. B. was an excellent man, and a diligent and conscientious churchman. Though indifferent to general literature, he had some taste in the fine arts, especially architecture. B.'s works were ed. by W.E. Gladstone (2 vols. 1896), and there are Lives by Bishop W. Fitzgerald, Spooner (1902), and others,seealsoHistory of English Thought in 18th Century, by Leslie Stephen.
BUTLER, SAMUEL (1612-1680).—Satirist, was thes.of a Worcestershire farmer. In early youth he was page to the Countess of Kent, and thereafter clerk to various Puritan justices, some of whom are believed to have suggested characters inHudibras. After the Restoration he became Sec. to the Lord Pres. of Wales, and about the same timem.a Mrs. Herbert, a widow with a jointure, which, however, was lost. In 1663 the first part ofHudibraswaspub., and the other two in 1664 and 1668 respectively. This work, which is to a certain extent modelled onDon Quixote, stands at the head of the satirical literature of England, and for wit and compressed thought has few rivals in any language. It is directed against the Puritans, and while it holds up to ridicule the extravagancies into which many of the party ran, it entirely fails to do justice to their virtues and their services to liberty, civil and religious. Many of its brilliant couplets have passed into the proverbial commonplaces of the language, and few who use them have any idea of their source. Butler, notwithstanding the popularity of his work, was neglected by the Court, andd.in poverty.
Ed. of B.'s works have been issued by Bell (3 vols., 1813), and Johnson (2 vols., 1893).
BUTLER, SAMUEL (1825-1902).—Miscellaneous writer,ed.at Shrewsbury and Camb., wrote two satirical books,Erewhon(nowhere) (1872), andErewhon Revisited(1901). He translated theIliadandOdysseyin prose, and mooted the theory that the latter was written by a woman. Other works wereThe Fair Haven,Life and Habit,The Way of all Flesh(a novel) (1903), etc., and some sonnets. He also wrote on the Sonnets of Shakespeare.
BYRON, GEORGE GORDON, 6TH LORD BYRON (1788-1824).—Poet, wasb.in London, thes.of Captain John B. and of Catherine Gordon, heiress of Gight, Aberdeenshire, his second wife, whom hem.for her money and, after squandering it, deserted. He was also the grand-nephew of the 5th, known as the "wicked" Lord B. From his birth he suffered from a malformation of the feet, causing a slight lameness, which was a cause of lifelong misery to him, aggravated by the knowledge that with proper care it might have been cured. After the departure of hisf.his mother went to Aberdeen, where she lived on a small salvage from her fortune. She was acapricious woman of violent temper, with no fitness for guiding her volcanic son, and altogether the circumstances of his early life explain, if they do not excuse, the spirit of revolt which was his lifelong characteristic. In 1794, on the death of a cousin, he became heir-presumptive to the title and embarrassed estates of the family, to which, on the death of his great-uncle in 1798, he succeeded. In 1801 he was sent to Harrow, where he remained until 1805, when he proceeded to Trinity Coll., Camb., where he read much history and fiction, lived extravagantly, and got into debt. Some early verses which he hadpub.in 1806 were suppressed. They were followed in 1807 byHours of Idleness, which was savagely attacked in theEdinburgh Review. In reply he sent forthEnglish Bards and Scotch Reviewers(1800), which created considerable stir and shortly went through 5 ed. Meanwhile, he had settled at Newstead Abbey, the family seat, where with some of his cronies he was believed to have indulged in wild and extravagant orgies, the accounts of which, however, were probably greatly exaggerated. In 1809 he left England, and passing through Spain, went to Greece. During his absence, which extended over two years, he wrote the first two cantos ofChilde Harold, which werepub.after his return in 1812, and were received with acclamation. In his own words, "he awoke one morning and found himself famous." He followed up his success with some short poems,The Corsair,Lara, etc. About the same time began his intimacy with his future biographer,Thomas Moore(q.v.), and about 1815 he married Anne Isabella Milbanke, who had refused him in the previous year, a union which, owing to the total incompatibility of the parties, and serious provocations on the part of B., proved unhappy, and was in 1816 dissolved by a formal deed of separation. The only fruit of it was adau., Augusta Ada. After this break-up of his domestic life, followed as it was by the severe censure of society, and by pressure on the part of his creditors, which led to the sale of his library, B. again left England, as it turned out, for ever, and, passing through Belgium and up the Rhine, went to Geneva, afterwards travelling with Shelley through Switzerland, when he wrote the third canto ofChilde Harold. He wintered in Venice, where he formed a connection with Jane Clairmont, thedau.ofW. Godwin'ssecond wife (q.v.). In 1817 he was in Rome, whence returning to Venice he wrote the fourth canto ofChilde Harold. In the same year he sold his ancestral seat of Newstead, and about the same timepub.Manfred,Cain, andThe Deformed Transformed. The first five cantos ofDon Juanwere written between 1818 and 1820, during which period he made the acquaintance of the Countess Guiccioli, whom he persuaded to leave her husband. It was about this time that he received a visit from Moore, to whom he confided his MS. autobiography, which Moore, in the exercise of the discretion left to him, burned in 1824. His next move was to Ravenna, where he wrote much, chiefly dramas, includingMarino Faliero. In 1821-22 he finishedDon Juanat Pisa, and in the same year he joined with Leigh Hunt in starting a short-lived newspaper,The Liberal, in the first number of which appearedThe Vision of Judgment. His last Italian home was Genoa, where he was still accompanied by the Countess, and where he lived until 1823, when he offered himself asan ally to the Greek insurgents. In July of that year he started for Greece, spent some months in Cephalonia waiting for the Greeks to form some definite plans. In January, 1824, he landed at Missolonghi, but caught a malarial fever, of which hed.on April 19, 1824.
The final position of B. in English literature is probably not yet settled. It is at present undoubtedly lower than it was in his own generation. Yet his energy, passion, and power of vivid and richly-coloured description, together with the interest attaching to his wayward and unhappy career, must always make him loom large in the assembly of English writers. He exercised a marked influence on Continental literature, and his reputation as poet is higher in some foreign countries than in his own.
Among ed. of the works of B. may be mentioned Murray's (13 vols. 1898-1904). Moore'sLife(1830), Lady Blessington'sConversations with Lord Byron(1834, new, 1894).
SUMMARY.—B.1788, spent childhood in Aberdeen,ed.Harrow and Camb.,pub.English Bards etc., 1809,Childe Haroldfirst two cantos 1812, married 1815, separated 1816, owing to this and financial difficulties leaves England, meets Shelley,pub.third canto ofChilde Harold1816, fourth canto 1817, writesDon Juancantos 1-4 1818-20, lives at various places in Italy 1816-24 with Countess Guiccioli, finishedDon Juan1822, goes to Greece 1823 to assist insurgents,d.1824.
BYRON, HENRY JAMES (1834-1884).—Dramatist,b.at Manchester, entered the Middle Temple, but soon took to writing for the stage, and produced many popular burlesques and extravaganzas. He also wrote for periodicals, and was the first editor ofFun. Among his best dramatic pieces areCyril's Success(1868),Our Boys(1875), andThe Upper Crust.
CÆDMON (d.1680).—The first English poet of whom we have any knowledge. Originally employed as cowherd at the Abbey of Whitby, he became a singer when somewhat advanced in life. The story of how the gift of song came to him is given by Bede, how having fallen asleep in the stable he dreamed that one came to him desiring a song, and on his asking "What shall I sing?" replied "Sing to me of the beginning of created things." Therefore he began to sing and, on awaking, remembered his song and added to it. Thereafter he told what had befallen him to the bailiff who was over him, who repeated the tale to the Abbess Hilda. She having called together certain learned and pious persons, C. was brought before them, told his story, and recited his verses. A part of Scripture was read to him, which he was asked to turn into verse; and this being done he was received into the Abbey where, for the rest of his life, he lived as a monk, and continued to make his holy songs. Much that was formerly attributed to C. is now held to be of later date. All that is known to be his is a Northumbrian version of Bede's Latin paraphrases of C.'s first song: although by some the authorship of "The Dream of the Holy Rood," and of a fragment on "The Temptation and Fall of Man" is claimed for him.
English Literature from Beginning to Norman Conquest, Stopford Brooke (1898), andHistory of Early English Literature, by the same (1892).
CAIRD, EDWARD (1835-1908).—Philosopher, younger brother ofJohn C.(q.v.), wasb.at Greenock, anded.at Glasgow and Oxf., where he became Fellow and Tutor of Merton Coll. In 1866 he was appointed to the Chair of Moral Philosophy at Glasgow, which he held until 1893, when he became Master of Balliol Coll., from which he retired in 1907. He has writtenCritical Philosophy of Kant(1877),Hegel(1883),Evolution of Religion,Social Philosophy and Religion of Comte(1885),Evolution of Theology in the Greek Philosophers(1904).
CAIRD, JOHN (1820-1898).—Theologian,b., at Greenock, anded.at Glasgow, entered the Church of Scotland, of which he became one of the most eloquent preachers. After being a minister in the country and in Edinburgh, he was translated to Glasgow, becoming in 1862 Prof. of Divinity in the Univ. of that city, and in 1873 Principal. A sermon onReligion in Common Life, preached before Queen Victoria, made him known throughout the Protestant world. He wrote anIntroduction to the Philosophy of Religion(1880), and a vol. onSpinoza(1888).
CALAMY, EDMUND (1600-1666).—Puritan Divine,b.in London, anded.at Camb., was one of the principal authors of a famous controversial work bearing the titleSmectymnuus, made up of the initials of the various writers, andpub.in 1641 in reply to Bishop Hall'sDivine Right of Episcopacy. His other chief work isThe Godly Man's Ark. A Presbyterian, he was a supporter of monarchy, and favoured the Restoration, after which he was offered, but declined, the see of Coventry and Lichfield. He was a member of the Savoy Conference. The passing of the Act of Uniformity led to his retiring from ministerial work. He is said to haved.of melancholy caused by the great fire of London.
CALDERWOOD, DAVID (1575-1650).—Scottish Church historian, belonged to a good family, and about 1604 became minister of Crailing, Roxburghshire. Opposing the designs of James VI. for setting up Episcopacy, he was imprisoned 1617, and afterwards had to betake himself to Holland, where his controversial work,Altare Damascenum, against Episcopacy, waspub.In 1625 he returned to Scotland, and began his great work,The Historie of the Kirk of Scotland, which waspub.in an abridged form (1646). The complete work was printed (1841-49) for the Woodrow Society. C. became minister of Pencaitland, East Lothian, about 1640, and was one of those appointed to draw upThe Directory for Public Worship in Scotland.
CALVERLEY, CHARLES STUART (1831-1884).—Poet and translator,s.of the Rev. H. Blayds (who assumed the name of Calverley), wased.at Harrow, Oxf., and Camb. He was called to the Bar in 1865, and appeared to have a brilliant career before him, when a fall on the ice in 1866 changed him from a distinguished athlete to a life-long invalid. Brilliant as a scholar, a musician, and a talker, he is perhaps best known as one of the greatest of parodists. Hepub.Verses and Translations(1862), andFly-leaves(1872). He also translatedTheocritus(1869).
CAMDEN, WILLIAM (1551-1623).—Antiquary and historian,b.in London, anded.at Christ's Hospital, St. Paul's School, and Oxf., was in 1575 appointed Second Master in Westminster School, and Head Master in 1593, and spent his vacations in travelling over England collecting antiquarian information. His great work,Britannia, waspub.in 1586, and at once brought him fame both at home and abroad. It is a work of vast labour and erudition, written in elegant Latin. In 1597 C. was made Clarencieux King-at-Arms which, setting him free from his academic duties, enabled him to devote more time to his antiquarian and historical labours. His other principal works areAnnals of the Reign of Elizabeth(printed 1615-1623),Monuments and Inscriptions in Westminster Abbey(1600), and acoll.ofAncient English Historians. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. The Camden Society for historical research, founded in 1838, is named after him.
CAMPBELL, GEORGE (1719-1796).—Theologian and philosopher, was a minister of the Church of Scotland at Aberdeen, and Principal and Prof. of Divinity in Marischal Coll. there. HisDissertation on Miracles(1763), in answer to Hume, was in its day considered a masterly argument, and was admitted to be so by Hume himself. His other principal works wereThe Philosophy of Rhetoric(1776), which is still a standard work, andA Translation of the Four Gospels with Notes.
CAMPBELL, JOHN, 1ST LORD CAMPBELL (1779-1861).—Lawyer and biographer,s.of the minister of Cupar-Fife, had a highly successful career as a lawyer, and held the offices successively of Solicitor and Attorney-General, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord Chief Justice, and Lord Chancellor. His contributions to literature wereLives of the ChancellorsandLives of the Chief Justices. These works, though deficient in research and accuracy, often unfair in judgments of character, and loose and diffuse in style, are interesting and full of information.
CAMPBELL, JOHN FRANCIS (1822-1885).—Celtic scholar,ed.at Eton and Edin., was afterwards Sec. to the Lighthouse Commission. He was an authority on Celtic folk-lore, andpub. Popular Tales of the West Highlands(4 vols., 1860-62), and various Gaelic texts.
CAMPBELL, LEWIS (1830-1908).—Scholar,s.of a naval officer,ed.at Edin., Glasgow, and Oxf., took orders, and was Vicar of Milford, Hants, until 1863, when he was appointed Prof. of Greek at St. Andrews. He brought out ed. of Sophocles and other works on the Greek classics, and in conjunction withE. AbbottThe Life and Letters of Prof. Jowett(q.v.), with whom he had collaborated in editing theRepublic of Plato. He also ed. the poems of Thomas Campbell, to whom he was related.
CAMPBELL, THOMAS (1777-1844).—Poet, was the youngests.of Alexander C., a merchant in Glasgow, where he wasb.After leaving the Univ. of that city, where he gained some distinction by his translations from the Greek, and acting for some time asa tutor, he went to Edin. to study law, in which, however, he did not make much progress, but gained fame by producing in 1799, at the age of 21, his principal poem,The Pleasures of Hope. In spite of some of the faults of youth, the vigour of thought and description, and power of versification displayed in the poem, as well as its noble feeling for liberty, made it a marvellous performance for so young a man. His other larger poems areGertrude of Wyoming(1809),O'Connor's Child, andTheodric(1824). It is not, however, for these that he will be chiefly remembered, but for his patriotic and war lyrics,Ye Mariners of England,Hohenlinden, andThe Battle of the Baltic, which are imperishable. C. was also distinguished as a critic, and hisSpecimens of the British Poets(1819) is prefaced by an essay which is an important contribution to criticism. C. resided in London from 1803 until the year of his death, which took place at Boulogne, whither he had repaired in search of health. In addition to the works mentioned he wrote various compilations, includingAnnals of Great Britain, covering part of the reign of George III. In 1805 he received a Government pension, and he was Lord Rector of Glasgow Univ. 1826-29. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Life and Letters, Beattie (1840); Poems,Aldineed. (1875, new, 1890).
CAMPION, THOMAS (c.1575-1620).—Poet and musician,b.at Witham, Essex, anded.at Camb., and on the Continent, studied law at Gray's Inn, but discarding it, practised medicine in London. He wrote masques, and many fine lyrics remarkable for their metrical beauty, of which "Cherry Ripe" and "Lesbia" are well known. He also wroteEpigramsin Latin, andObservations on the Arte of Poesie(1602). He composed the music for most of his songs.
CANNING, GEORGE (1770-1827).—Statesman, wasb.in London, thes.of a lawyer. He lost hisf.while still an infant, and was brought up by an uncle, who sent him to Eton and Oxf. In 1793 he entered Parliament as a supporter of Pitt, and soon became one of the most brilliant debaters in the House. After filling various offices, including that of Foreign Sec., with striking ability, he was in 1827 appointed Prime Minister, butd., deeply mourned by the nation, a few months later. He has a place in literature as the leading spirit in theAnti-Jacobin, a paper started during the French Revolution, in support of the English Constitution, and which, with Gifford for ed., had many of the most eminent men of the day as contributors. C. wrote theNeedy Knife-grinder,The Loves of the Triangles, parts II. and III., a parody on E. Darwin'sLoves of the Plants,The Progress of Man, etc. Hiscoll.Poemswerepub.1823.
CAPGRAVE, JOHN (1393-1464).—Historian and theologian,b.at Lynn, became an Augustinian Friar, and at length Provincial of the Order in England. He studied probably at Camb., visited Rome, and was a client of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, whose life he wrote. He was the author of numerous theological and historical works, some of which are of considerable importance, including in Latin,Nova Legenda Angliæ,De Illustribus Henricis: lives of German Emperors, English Kings, etc., of the name of Henry, and in English,monotonous and dull, lives of St. Gilbert and St. Katharine, and aChroniclereaching to 1417.
CAREW, RICHARD (1555-1620).—Translator and antiquary, a county gentleman of Cornwall,ed.at Oxf., made a translation of the first five cantos of Tasso'sJerusalem Delivered(1594), more correct than that of Fairfax. Other works wereA Survey of Cornwall(1602), and anEpistle concerning the Excellencies of the English Tongue(1605).
CAREW, THOMAS (1594?-1639).—Poet,s.of Sir Matthew C., wased.at Oxf., entered the Middle Temple, and was one of the first and best of the courtly poets who wrote gracefully on light themes of Court life and gallantry. C.'s poems have often much beauty and even tenderness. His chief work isCoelum Britannicum. He lived the easy and careless life of a courtier of the day, but is said to haved.in a repentant frame. His poems, consisting chiefly of short lyrics, werecoll.andpub.after his death. One of the most beautiful and best known of his songs is that beginning "He that loves a rosy cheek."
CAREY, HENRY (d.1743).—Dramatist and song-writer, was believed to be an illegitimates.of George Savile, Marquis of Halifax. He wrote innumerable burlesques, farces, songs, etc., often with his own music, includingChrononhotonthologos(1734), a burlesque on the mouthing plays of the day, andThe Dragon of Wantley(1744?). His poem,Namby Pamby, in ridicule ofAmbrose Phillips(q.v.), added a word to the language, and hisSally in our Alleyis one of our best-known songs.God Save the Kingwas also claimed for him, but apparently without reason.
CARLETON, WILLIAM (1794-1869).—Novelist,s.of a poor Irish cottar,b.and brought up among the Irish peasantry, acquired an insight into their ideas and feelings which has never been equalled. His finest work is in his short stories, collected under the title ofTraits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry, of which two series werepub.in 1830 and 1832 respectively. He also wrote several longer novels, of which the best isFardorougha the Miser(1837), a work of great power. Others areThe Misfortunes of Barny Branagan(1841),Valentine M'Clutchy(1845),Rody the Rover(1847),The Squanders of Castle Squander(1854), andThe Evil Eye. C. received a pension of £200 from Government.
CARLYLE, ALEXANDER (1722-1805).—Autobiographer,s.of the Minister of Cummertrees, Dumfriesshire, wased.at Edin. and Leyden, and entering the Church became Minister of Inveresk, and was associated with Principal Robertson as an ecclesiastical leader. He was a man of great ability, shrewdness, and culture, and the friend of most of the eminent literary men in Scotland of his day. He left an autobiography in MS., which was ed. by Hill Burton, andpub.in 1860, and which is one of the most interesting contemporary accounts of his time. His stately appearance gained for him the name of "Jupiter" C.
CARLYLE, THOMAS (1795-1881).—Historian and essayist, wasb.at Ecclefechan in Dumfriesshire. Hisf., James C., was astonemason, a man of intellect and strong character, and his mother was, as he said, "of the fairest descent, that of the pious, the just, and the wise." His earliest education was received at the parish school of Ecclefechan (the Entepfuhl ofSartor Resartus). Thence he went to the Grammar School of Annan, and in 1809 to the Univ. of Edin., the 90 miles to which he travelled on foot. There he read voraciously, his chief study being mathematics. After completing his "Arts" course, he went on to divinity with the view of entering the Church, but about the middle of his course found that he could not proceed. He became a schoolmaster first at Annan and then at Kirkcaldy, where he formed a profound friendship withEdward Irving(q.v.), and met Margaret Gordon, afterwards Lady Bannerman, believed by some to be the prototype ofBlumineinSartor. Returning in 1819 to Edin. he for a time studied law and took pupils; but his health was bad, he suffered from insomnia and dyspepsia, and he tired of law. He was also sorely bestead by mental and spiritual conflicts, which came to a crisis in Leith Walk in June 1821 in a sudden uprising of defiance to the devil and all his works, upon which the clouds lifted. For the next two years, 1822-24, he acted as tutor to Charles Buller (whose promising political career was cut short by his premature death) and his brother. On the termination of this engagement he decided upon a literary career, which he began by contributing articles to theEdinburgh Encyclopædia. In 1824 he translated Legendre'sGeometry(to which he prefixed an essay on Proportion), and Goethe'sWilhelm Meister; he also wrote for theLondon MagazineaLife of Schiller. About this time he visited Paris and London, where he met Hazlitt, Campbell, Coleridge, and others. Thereafter he returned to Dumfriesshire. In the following year (1826) hem.Jane Baillie Welsh, and settled in Edin. Here his first work wasSpecimens of German Romance(4 vols.) A much more important matter was his friendship with Jeffrey and his connection with theEdinburgh Review, in which appeared, among others, his essays onRichter,Burns,Characteristics, andGerman Poetry. In 1828 C. applied unsuccessfully for the Chair of Moral Philosophy in St. Andrews, and the same year he went to Craigenputtock, a small property in Dumfriesshire belonging to Mrs. C., where they remained for several years, and where many of his best essays andSartor Resartuswere written, and where his correspondence with Goethe began. In 1831 he went to London to find a publisher forSartor, but was unsuccessful, and it did not appear in book form until 1838, after having come out inFraser's Magazinein 1833-34. The year last mentioned found him finally in London, settled in Cheyne Row, Chelsea, his abode for the rest of his life. He immediately set to work on hisFrench Revolution. While it was in progress he in 1835 lent the MS. to J.S. Mill, by whose servant nearly the whole of the first vol. was burned, in spite of which misfortune the work was ready for publication in 1837. Its originality, brilliance, and vividness took the world by storm, and his reputation as one of the foremost men of letters in the country was at once and finally established. In the same year he appeared as a public lecturer, and delivered four courses onGerman Literature,Periods of European Culture,Revolutions of Modern Europe, andHeroes and Hero-Worship, thelast of which waspub.as a book in 1841. Although his writings did not yet produce a large income, his circumstances had become comfortable, owing to Mrs. C. having succeeded to her patrimony in 1840. Books now followed each other rapidly,Chartismhad appeared in 1839,Past and Presentcame out in 1843, andLetters and Speeches of Oliver Cromwellin 1845, the last named being perhaps the most successful of his writings, inasmuch as it fully attained the object aimed at in clearing Cromwell from the ignorant or malevolent aspersions under which he had long lain, and giving him his just place among the greatest of the nation. In 1850 hepub.his fiercest blast,Latter Day Pamphlets, which was followed next year by his biography of his friendJohn Sterling(q.v.). It was about this time, as is shown by theLetters and Memoirsof Mrs. C., that a temporary estrangement arose between his wife and himself, based apparently on Mrs. C.'s part upon his friendship with Lady Ashburton, a cause of which C. seems to have been unconscious. In 1851 he began his largest, if not his greatest work,Frederick the Great, which occupied him from that year until 1865, and in connection with which he made two visits to Germany in 1852 and 1858. It is a work of astonishing research and abounds in brilliant passages, but lacks the concentrated intensity ofThe French Revolution. It is, however, the one of his works which enjoys the highest reputation in Germany. In 1865 he was elected Lord Rector of the Univ. of Edin., and delivered a remarkable address to the students by whom he was received with enthusiasm. Almost immediately afterwards a heavy blow fell upon him in the death of Mrs. C., and in the discovery, from her diary, of how greatly she had suffered, unknown to him, from the neglect and want of consideration which, owing to absorption in his work and other causes, he had perhaps unconsciously shown. Whatever his faults, of which the most was made in some quarters, there can be no doubt that C. and his wife were sincerely attached to each other, and that he deeply mourned her. In 1866 hisReminiscences(pub.1881) were written. The Franco-German War of 1870-71 profoundly interested him, and evoked a plea for Germany. From this time his health began to give way more and more. In 1872 his right hand became paralysed. In 1874 he received the distinction of the Prussian Order of Merit, as the biographer of its founder, and in the same year, Mr. Disraeli offered him the choice of the Grand Cross of the Bath or a baronetcy and a pension, all of which he declined. The completion of his 80th year in 1875 was made the occasion of many tributes of respect and veneration, including a gold medal from some of his Scottish admirers. Hed.on February 5, 1881. Burial in Westminster Abbey was offered, but he had left instructions that he should lie with his kindred. He bequeathed the property of Craigenputtock to the Univ. of Edin.
C. exercised a very powerful influence upon the thought of his age, not only by his own writings and personality, but through the many men of distinction both in literature and active life whom he imbued with his doctrines; and perhaps no better proof of this exists than the fact that much that was new and original when first propounded by him has passed into the texture of the national ideas. His style is perhaps the most remarkable and individual inour literature, intensely strong, vivid, and picturesque, but utterly unconventional, and often whimsical or explosive. He had in a high degree the poetic and imaginative faculty, and also irresistible humour, pungent sarcasm, insight, tenderness, and fierce indignation.
All the works of C. shed light on his personality, butSartor Resartusespecially may be regarded as autobiographical. Froude'sThomas Carlyle ... First 40 Years of his Life(1882),Thomas Carlyle ... His Life in London, by the same (1884),Letters and Memories of Jane Welsh Carlyle(1883), variousLivesandReminiscencesby Prof. Masson and Nichol, etc.
SUMMARY.—B.1795,ed.Edin., studies for Church but gives it up, tries law, then tutor, takes to literature and writes for encyclopædias and magazines, and translates,m.1826 Jane Welsh, settles in Edin., writes essays inEdinburgh Review, goes to Craigenputtock 1828, writesSartorand corresponds with Goethe,Sartorappears inFraser's Magazine1833-4, settles in London 1834,pub.French Revolution1837, lectures,pub.Heroes, andChartismandSartoras a book 1839,Past and Present1843,Oliver Cromwell1845,Latter Day Pamphlets1850, writesFrederick the Great1851-65, Lord Rector of Edin. Univ. 1865, Mrs. C.d.1865, writesReminiscences1866 (pub.1881),d.1881.