CRAIGIE, MRS. PEARL MARY TERESA (RICHARDS) (1867-1906).—Dau.of John Morgan, R.b.in Boston, Massachusetts. Most of her education was received in London and Paris, and from childhood she was a great reader and observer. At 19 shem.Mr. R.W. Craigie, but the union did not prove happy and was, on her petition, dissolved. In 1902 she became a Roman Catholic. She wrote, under the pseudonym of "John Oliver Hobbes," a number of novels and dramas, distinguished by originality of subject and treatment, brightness of humour, and finish of style, among which may be mentionedSome Emotions and a Moral,The Gods, Some Mortals and Lord Wickenham(1895),The Herb MoonandThe School for Saints(1897), andRobert Orange(1900),The Dream and The Business(1907). Her dramas includeThe AmbassadorandThe Bishop's Move.
CRAIK, GEORGE LILLIE (1798-1866).—Writer on English literature, etc.,b.at Kennoway, Fife, anded.at St. Andrews, went to London in 1824, where he wrote largely for the "Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge." In 1849 he was appointed Prof. of English Literature and History at Belfast. Among his books areThe Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties(1831),History of British Commerce(1844), andHistory of English Literature and the English Language(1861). He was also joint author ofThe Pictorial History of England, and wrote books on Spenser and Bacon.
CRANMER, THOMAS (1489-1556).—Theologian and Churchman,b.at Aslacton, Notts,ed.at Camb., and became an eminent classical and biblical scholar. He supported Henry VIII. in his divorce proceedings against Queen Catherine, gained the King's favour, and obtained rapid preferment, ending with the Primacy. He was one of the chief promoters of the Reformation in England. On the accession of Mary, he was committed to the Tower, and after a temporary failure of courage and constancy, suffered martyrdom at the stake. It is largely to C. that we owe the stately forms of the Book of Common Prayer. He also wrote over 40 works, and composed several hymns; but the influence of the Prayer-book in fixing the language is his great, though indirect, service to our literature.
Fox'sBook of Martyrs, Strype'sMemorials of Cranmer, Hook'sLives of Archbishops of Canterbury, etc.
CRASHAW, RICHARD (1613?-1649).—Poet,s.of William C., a Puritan divine, wasb.in London, anded.at Charterhouse and Camb., where he became a Fellow of Peterhouse, from which, however, he was, in 1643, ejected for refusing to take the Solemn League and Covenant. Thereafter he went to France, and joined the Roman communion. He suffered great straits, being almost reduced to starvation, but was, through the influence of Queen Henrietta Maria, appointed Sec. to Cardinal Palotta. About 1649 he went to Italy, and in the following year became a canon of the Church of Loretto. Hed.the same year. C. is said to have been an eloquent preacher, and was a scholar as well as a poet of a high order in the ecstatic and transcendental style. His chief work isSteps to the Temple(1646), consisting mainly of religious poems somewhat in the style of Herbert; hisWeeping of the Magdalenis full of the most extravagant conceits, a fondness for which is, indeed, his besetting sin as a poet. His friend Cowley commemorated him in a beautiful ode.
CRAWFORD, FRANCIS MARION (1854-1909).—Novelist and historian,s.of Thomas C., an American sculptor,b.at Bagni di Lucca, Italy, anded.in America, at Camb., and in Germany, he went to India and ed.The Indian Herald(1879-80). Thereafter he settled in Italy, living chiefly at Sorrento, and becoming a Roman Catholic. His principal historical works areAve Roma Immortalis(1898),The Rulers of the South(reprinted asSicily, Calabria, and Malta, 1904), andVenetian Gleanings(1905), but his reputation rests mainly on his novels, of which he wrote between 30 and 40, the best known of which are perhapsMr. Isaacs(1882),Dr. Claudius(1883),A Roman Singer(1884),Marzio's Crucifix(1887),Saracinesca(1887),A Cigarette-maker's Romance(1890), generally considered his masterpiece,Don Orsino(1892),Pietro Ghisleri(1893), andThe Heart of Rome(1903). His one play isFrancesca, da Rimini. His novels are all interesting, and written in a style of decided distinction. His historical works, though full of information, lack spirit.
CREASY, SIR EDWARD SHEPHERD (1812-1878).—Historian,ed.at Eton and Camb., and called to the Bar in 1837, he became in 1840 Prof. of History, London Univ., and in 1860 Chief Justice of Ceylon, when he was knighted. His best known contribution to literature is hisFifteen Decisive Battles of the World(1852). Other works areHistorical and Critical Account of the Several Invasions of England(1852),History of the Ottoman Turks, andImperial and Colonial Institutions of the British Empire(1872).
CREECH, THOMAS (1659-1700).—Translator,b.near Sherborne,ed.at Oxf., became Head Master of Sherborne School. He translatedLucretiusin verse (1682), for which he received a Fellowship at Oxf., also Horace, Theocritus, and other classics. Owing to a disappointment in love and pecuniary difficulties he hanged himself.
CREIGHTON, MANDELL (1843-1901).—Churchman and historian,b.at Carlisle, anded.at Durham Grammar School and Merton Coll., Oxf., he took orders, and was presented to the living of Embleton, Northumberland, in 1875, where, in addition to zealous discharge of pastoral duties, he pursued the historical studies on theresults of which his reputation chiefly rests. In 1882 the first two vols. of hisHistory of the Papacyappeared, followed by two more in 1887, and a fifth in 1894. In 1884 he was appointed first Dixie Prof. of Ecclesiastical History at Camb. He ed. theEnglish Historical Review(1886-91). In 1891, after having held canonries at Worcester and Windsor, he became Bishop of Peterborough, from which he was in 1897 translated to London. His duties as Bishop of London made the completion of his great historical work an impossibility. He wrote in addition to it various text-books on history, a life of Queen Elizabeth, a memoir of Sir George Grey, and many articles and reviews. He was recognised as a leading authority on the department of history to which he had specially devoted himself, and he made his mark as a Churchman.
CROKER, JOHN WILSON (1780-1857).—Politician and miscellaneous writer.Ed.at Trinity Coll., Dublin, he entered Parliament as a Tory, and was appointed to various offices, including the Secretaryship of the Admiralty, which he held for 20 years. He was one of the founders of theQuarterly Review, and wrote some of its most violent political articles and reviews. Hepub.in 1831 an ed. ofBoswell's Life of Johnson. He also wrote some historical essays and satirical pieces.
CROKER, THOMAS CROFTON (1798-1854).—Irish Antiquary,b.at Cork, for some years held a position in the Admiralty. He devoted himself largely to the collection of ancient Irish poetry and folk-lore. Among his publications areResearches in the South of Ireland(1824),Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland(1825-27),Popular Songs of Ireland(1837),Daniel O'Rourke(1829), andBarney Mahoney(1832). He assisted in founding the "Camden" and "Percy" Societies.
CROLY, GEORGE (1780-1860).—Poet, novelist, historian, and divine,b.at Dublin, anded.at Trinity Coll. there, he took orders and became Rector of St. Stephen's, Walbrook, and had a high reputation as a preacher. He wrote poems, dramas, satires, novels, history, and theological works, and attained some measure of success in all. Perhaps his best known works are his novels,Salathiel(1829), founded on the legend of "the wandering Jew," andMareton(1846). His chief contribution to theological literature is an exposition of the Apocalypse.
CROWE, CATHERINE (STEVENS) (1800-1876).—Wrote dramas, children's books, and one or two novels, includingSusan Hopley(1841), andLilly Dawson(1847), but is chiefly remembered for herNight-side of Nature(1848), a collection of stories of the supernatural. Though somewhat morbid she had considerable talent.
CROWE, EYRE EVANS (1799-1868).—Historian and novelist,s.of an officer in the army,b.near Southampton, anded.at Trinity Coll., Dublin. He wrote several novels, includingVittoria Colonna,To-day in Ireland(1825),The English in France(1828), andCharles Dalmer(1853). Among his historical works are aHistory of FranceinLardner's Cabinet Encyclopædia, afterwardsenlarged and separatelypub., and aHistory of Louis XVIII. and Charles X.
CROWE, SIR JOSEPH ARCHER (1825-1896).—Writer on art,s.of the above, wasb.in London. Most of his childhood was spent in France, and on his return to England in 1843 he became a journalist. He was then for some years engaged in educational work in India, and was afterwards war correspondent for theTimeson various occasions, and filled various important consular posts, for which he was in 1890 made K.C.M.G. In collaboration with G.B. Cavalcasselle, an Italian refugee, he was the author of several authoritative works on art, includingThe Early Flemish Painters(1856),A New History of Painting in Italy(1864-68),A History of Painting in North Italy(1871),Titian, His Life and Times(1877), andRaphael, His Life and Works(1883-85). The actual writing of all these was the work of C.
CROWE, WILLIAM (1745-1829).—Poet,b.at Midgham, Berks, thes.of a carpenter, wased.as a foundationer at Winchester, whence he proceeded to Oxf., where he became Public Orator. He wrote a smooth, but somewhat conventional poem,Lewesdon Hill(1789), ed. Collins's Poems (1828), and lectured on poetry at the Royal Institution. His poems werecoll.in 1827. C. was a clergyman and Rector of Alton Barnes, Wilts.
CROWNE, JOHN (1640?-1703).—Dramatist, returned from Nova Scotia, to which hisf., a Nonconformist minister, had emigrated, and became gentleman usher to a lady of quality. His first play,Juliana, appeared in 1671. He wrote in all about 17 dramatic pieces, of which the best isSir Courtly Nice(1685), adapted from the Spanish. It is amusing, and enjoyed a long continued vogue. In general, however, C. is dull.
CUDWORTH, RALPH (1617-1688).—Divine and philosopher,b.at Aller, Somerset, anded.at Camb., where, after being a tutor, he became Master of Clare Hall 1645, Prof. of Hebrew (1645-88), and Master of Christ's Coll., 1654. His great work isThe True Intellectual System of the Universe(1678). A work of vast learning and acuteness, it is directed against the infidelity of the age. C.'s candour in his statement of the opposing position was so remarkable that Dryden remarked "that he raised such strong objections against the being of a God and Providence that many thought he had not answered them." He also left in MS. aTreatise concerning Eternal and Immutable Morality,pub.in 1731.
CUMBERLAND, RICHARD (1732-1811).—Novelist and dramatist,ed.at Westminster and Camb., entered the diplomatic service, and filled several government appointments. His best play isThe West Indian. His novels do not rise much above mediocrity. Along with Sir J.B. Burges he wrote an epic entitledThe Exodiad, and he also made some translations from the Greek.
CUMMINS, MARIA SUSANNA (1827-1866).—B.at Salem, Mass., was well-known as the authoress ofThe Lamplighter, a somewhat sentimental tale which had very wide popularity. She wrote others, includingMabel Vaughan, none of which had the same success.
CUNNINGHAM, ALLAN (1784-1842).—Poet and miscellaneous writer,b.near Dalswinton, Dumfriesshire, in his youth knew Burns, who was a friend of his father's. He was apprenticed to a stonemason, but gave his leisure to reading and writing imitations of old Scottish ballads, which he contributed to Cromek'sRemains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song,pub.in 1810, and which gained for him the friendship of Scott and Hogg. Thereafter he went to London, and became a parliamentary reporter, and subsequently assistant to Chantrey, the sculptor, but continued his literary labours, writing three novels, a life of Sir D. Wilkie, andLives of Eminent British Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, besides many songs, of which the best isA wet sheet and a flowing Sea. He also brought out an ed. of Burns's Works. He had four sons, all of whom rose to important positions, and inherited in some degree his literary gifts.
CURTIS, GEORGE WILLIAM (1824-1892).—American essayist, editor, and journalist, contributed toNew York Tribune, and toPutnam'sandHarper'smonthlies, in which most of his books first appeared. Among these areTrumps, a story of New York life,Prue and I,Lotus-eating, and thePotiphar Papers. C. was also one of the finest American orators of his day.
CYNEWULF (fl.750).—Anglo-Saxon poet. He was probably a Northumbrian, though sometimes thought to have been a Mercian. His poems, and some others, more or less doubtfully attributed to him, are contained in the Exeter Book and the Vercelli Book. The poems which are considered to be certainly his are theRiddles, from hints and allusions in which is derived nearly all that is known of him, or at least of the earlier part of his life, which appears to have been that of a joyous and poetical nature, rejoicing in the beauty of the world. His next poem,Juliana, the legend of a virgin-martyr, indicates a transition in his spiritual life; sorrow and repentance are its predominant notes, and in these respects another poem,St. Guthlac, resembles it. In theCrist(Christ), C. has passed through the clouds to an assured faith and peace.The Phœnix, and the second part ofGuthlac, though not certainly his, are generally attributed to him.The Fates of the ApostlesandElene(the legend of St. Helena) are his; theAndreasandThe Dream of the Roodeare still in some respects the subject of controversy. In several of the poems the separate letters of C.'s name are introduced in a peculiar manner, and are regarded as an attesting signature.Juliana,Crist,The Apostles, andEleneare thus said to be signed. The Exeter and Vercelli Books are collections of ancient English poems, and they are named from the places where they were found.
DALLING AND BULWER, WILLIAM HENRY LYTTON EARLE BULWER, 1ST LORD (1801-1872).—Elder brother ofLord Lytton(q.v.), and a distinguished diplomatist. He represented England at Madrid, Washington (where he concluded the Bulwer-Clayton Treaty), Florence, Bucharest, and Constantinople, and was raised to the peerage in 1871. He was the author of a number of books of travel and biography, includingAn Autumn in Greece(1826), aLife of Byron(1835),Historical Characters(1868-70), and an unfinished life of Lord Palmerston.
DAMPIER, WILLIAM (1652-1715).—Discoverer and buccaneer,b.near Yeovil. After various seafaring adventures, and leading a semi-piratical life, he was in 1688 marooned on Nicobar Island, but escaped to Acheen, returned to England in 1691. Hepub.hisVoyage Round the World(1697), andA Discourse of Winds(1699). He was then employed by government on a voyage of survey and discovery (1699-1700), in the course of which he explored the north-west coast of Australia and the coasts of New Guinea and New Britain. In 1701 he was wrecked upon Ascension Island, from which he was rescued by an East Indiaman. He was afterwards court-martialled for cruelty, and wrote an angry but unconvincing vindication. HisVoyageis written in a style plain and homely, but is perspicuous and interesting.
DANA, RICHARD HENRY (1787-1879).—Novelist and critic,b.at Camb., Mass., was called to the Bar in 1817. Among his novels areTom ThorntonandPaul Felton, both somewhat violent and improbable tales, and his poems, which are better, includeThe Buccaneer(1827), andThe Dying Raven. He is, however, stronger as a critic than as a writer. He wrote largely inThe North American Review, and for a time conducted a paper,The Idle Man, which contains some of his best work.
DANA, RICHARD HENRY, JR. (1815-1882).—Miscellaneous writer,s.of the above,ed.at Harvard, but on his eyesight giving way shipped as a common sailor, and gave his experiences inTwo Years before the Mast(1840). Called to the Bar in 1840, he became an authority on maritime law. Other books by him areThe Seaman's Friend(1841), andVacation Voyage to Cuba(1859).
DANIEL, SAMUEL (1562-1619).—Poet,s.of a music master, wasb.near Taunton, anded.at Oxf., but did not graduate. He attached himself to the Court as a kind of voluntary laureate, and in the reign of James I. was appointed "Inspector of the children of the Queen's revels," and a groom of the Queen's chamber. He is said to have enjoyed the friendship of Shakespeare and Marlowe, but was "at jealousies" with Ben Jonson. In his later years he retired to a farm which he owned in Somerset, where hed.D. bears the title of the "well-languaged," his style is clear and flowing, with a remarkably modern note, but is lacking in energy and fire, and is thus apt to become tedious. His works include sonnets, epistles, masques, and dramas. The most important of them isThe History of the Civil Wars between York and Lancasterin 8 books,pub.in 1604. HisEpistlesare generally considered his best work, and his sonnets have had some modern admirers. Among his poems may be mentioned theComplaynt of Rosamund,Tethys Festival(1610), andHymen's Triumph(1615), a masque, andMusophilus, a defence of learning,Defence of Rhyme(1602).
DARLEY, GEORGE (1795-1846).—Poet, novelist, and critic,b.at Dublin, anded.at Trinity Coll. there, he early decided to follow a literary career, and went to London, where he brought out his first poem,Errors of Ecstasie(1822). He also wrote for theLondon Magazine, under the pseudonym of John Lacy. In itappeared his best story,Lilian of the Vale. Various other books followed, includingSylvia, or The May Queen, a poem (1827). Thereafter he joined theAthenæum, in which he showed himself a severe critic. He was also a dramatist and a profound student of old English plays, editing those of Beaumont and Fletcher in 1840. So deeply was he imbued with the spirit of the 17th century that his poem, "It is not beauty I desire," was included by F.T. Palgrave in the first ed. of hisGolden Treasuryas an anonymous lyric of that age. He was also a mathematician of considerable talent, andpub.some treatises on the subject. D. fell into nervous depression andd.in 1846.
DARWIN, CHARLES ROBERT (1809-1882).—Naturalist,s.of a physician, and grandson ofDr. Erasmus D.(q.v.), and of Josiah Wedgwood, the famous potter, wasb.and was at school at Shrewsbury. In 1825 he went to Edin. to study medicine, but was more taken up with marine zoology than with the regular curriculum. After two years he proceeded to Camb., where hegrad.in 1831, continuing, however, his independent studies in natural history. In the same year came the opportunity of his life, his appointment to accompany theBeagleas naturalist on a survey of South America. To this voyage, which extended over nearly five years, he attributed the first real training of his mind, and after his returnpub.an account of it,Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle(1840). After spending a few years in London arranging his collections and writing hisJournal, he removed to Down, a retired village near the Weald of Kent, where, in a house surrounded by a large garden, his whole remaining life was passed in the patient building up, from accurate observations, of his theory of Evolution, which created a new epoch in science and in thought generally. His industry was marvellous, especially when it is remembered that he suffered from chronic bad health. After devoting some time to geology, specially to coral reefs, and exhausting the subject of barnacles, he took up the development of his favourite question, the transformation of species. In these earlier years of residence at Down hepub.The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs(1842), and two works on the geology of volcanic islands, and of South America. After he had given much time and profound thought to the question of evolution by natural selection, and had written out his notes on the subject, he received in 1858 fromMr. A.R. Wallace(q.v.) a manuscript showing that he also had reached independently a theory of the origin of species similar to his own. This circumstance created a situation of considerable delicacy and difficulty, which was ultimately got over by the two discoverers presenting a joint paper,On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties, andOn the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection. The publication in 1859 ofThe Origin of Speciesgave D. an acknowledged place among the greatest men of science, and the controversies which, along with other of his works, it raised, helped to carry his name all over the civilised world. Among his numerous subsequent writings may be mentionedThe Fertilisation of Orchids(1862),Variation of Plants and Animals under Domestication(1868),The Descent of Man, and Selection in relation to Sex(1871),The Expression of the Emotions inMan and Animals(1872),Insectivorous Plants(1875),Climbing Plants(1875),Different Forms of Flowers(1877),The Power of Movement in Plants(1880), andThe Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms(1881). D., with a modesty which was one of his chief characteristics, disclaimed for himself the possession of any remarkable talents except "an unusual power of noticing things which easily escape attention, and of observing them carefully." In addition, however, to this peculiar insight, he had a singular reverence for truth and fact, enormous industry, and great self-abnegation: and his kindliness, modesty, and magnanimity attracted the affection of all who knew him.
Life and Letters, by his son, F. Darwin, 3 vols., 1887;C. Darwin and the Theory of Natural Selection. E.B. Poulton, 1896; various short Lives by Grant Allen and others.
DARWIN, ERASMUS (1731-1802).—Poet, physician, and scientist, wasb.at Elston, Notts, anded.at Camb. and at Edin., where he took his degree of M.D. He ultimately settled in Lichfield as a physician, and attained a high professional reputation, so much so that he was offered, but declined, the appointment of physician to George III. In 1778 he formed a botanical garden, and in 1789pub.his first poem,The Loves of the Plants, followed in 1792 byThe Economy of Vegetation, which combined formThe Botanic Garden. Another poem,The Temple of Nature, waspub.posthumously. He also wrote various scientific works in prose. The poems of D., though popular in their day, are now little read. Written in polished and sonorous verse, they glitter with startling similes and ingenious, though often forced, analogies, but have little true poetry or human interest.
DASENT, SIR GEORGE WEBBE (1817-1896).—Scandinavian scholar,b.in the island of St. Vincent, of which hisf.was Attorney-general,ed.at Westminster School, King's Coll., London, and Oxf., he entered the diplomatic service, and was for several years Sec. to the British Embassy at Stockholm, where he became interested in Scandinavian literature and mythology. Returning to England he was appointed Assistant Ed. ofThe Times(1845-1870). In 1852 he was called to the Bar, and in the following year was appointed Prof. of English Literature and Modern History at King's Coll., London, an office which he held for 13 years. He was knighted in 1876. His principal writings have to do with Scandinavian language, mythology, and folk-lore, and include anIcelandic Grammar,The Prose or Younger Edda(1842),Popular Tales from the Norse(1859),The Saga of Burnt Njal(1861), andThe Story of Gisli the Outlaw(1866), mostly translated from the Norwegian of Asbjörnsen. He also translated the Orkney and Hacon Sagas for the Rolls Series, and wrote four novels,Annals of an Eventful Life,Three to One,Half a Life, andThe Vikings of the Baltic. His style is pointed and clear.
DAVENANT, or D'AVENANT, SIR WILLIAM (1606-1668).—Poet and dramatist, wasb.at Oxf., where hisf.kept an inn, which Shakespeare was in the habit of visiting. This had some influence on the future poet, who claimed to be Shakespeare's naturalson. D.,ed.at Lincoln Coll., was afterwards in the service of Lord Brooke, became involved in the troubles of the Civil War, in which he took the Royalist side, and was imprisoned in the Tower, escaped to France, and after returning was, in 1643, knighted. Later D. was employed on various missions by the King and Queen, was again in the Tower from 1650 to 1652, when hepub.his poemGondibert. He is said to have owed his release to the interposition of Milton. In 1656 he practically founded the English Opera by hisSiege of Rhodes(1656). In 1659 he was again imprisoned, but after the Restoration he seems to have enjoyed prosperity and Royal favour, and established a theatre, where he was the first habitually to introduce female players and movable scenery. D. wrote 25 dramatic pieces, among which areAlbovine, King of the Lombards(1629),Platonick Lovers(1636),The Wits(1633),Unfortunate Lovers(1643),Love and Honour(1649). None of them are now read; and the same may be said ofGondibert, considered a masterpiece by contemporaries. D. succeeded Ben Jonson as Poet Laureate, and collaborated with Dryden in altering (and debasing)The Tempest. Hecoll.his miscellaneous verse under the title ofMadagascar. He is said to have had the satisfaction of repaying in kind the good offices of Milton when the latter was in danger in 1660. He joined with Waller and others in founding the classical school of English poetry.
DAVIDSON, JOHN (1837-1909).—Poet and playwright,b.at Barrhead, Renfrewshire,s.of a Dissenting minister, entered the chemical department of a sugar refinery in Greenock in his 13th year, returning after one year to school as a pupil teacher. He was afterwards engaged in teaching at various places, and having taken to literature went in 1890 to London. He achieved a reputation as a writer of poems and plays of marked individuality and vivid realism. His poems includeIn a Music Hall(1891),Fleet Street Eclogues(1893),Baptist Lake(1894),New Ballads(1896),The Last Ballad(1898),The Triumph of Mammon(1907), and among his plays areBruce(1886),Smith: a Tragic Farce(1888),Godfrida(1898). D. disappeared on March 27, 1909, under circumstances which left little doubt that under the influence of mental depression he had committed suicide. Among his papers was found the MS. of a new work,Fleet Street Poems, with a letter containing the words, "This will be my last book." His body was discovered a few months later.
DAVIES, JOHN (1565?-1618).—Called "the Welsh Poet," was a writing-master, wrote very copiously and rather tediously on theological and philosophical themes. His works includeMirum in Modum,Microcosmus(1602), andThe Picture of a Happy Man(1612).Wit's Bedlam(1617), and many epigrams on his contemporaries which have some historical interest.
DAVIES, SIR JOHN (1569-1626).—Lawyer and poet,s.of a lawyer at Westbury, Wiltshire, wased.at Winchester and Oxf., and became a barrister of the Middle Temple, 1595. He was a member successively of the English and Irish Houses of Commons, and held various legal offices. In literature he is known as the writer of twopoems,Orchestra: a Poem of Dancing(1594), andNosce Teipsum(Know Thyself), in two elegies (1) Of Humane Knowledge (2) Of the Immortality of the Soul. The poem consists of quatrains, each containing a complete and compactly expressed thought. It waspub.in 1599. D. was also the author of treatises on law and politics.
DAVIS, or DAVYS, JOHN (1550?-1605).—Navigator, known as D. of Sandridge to distinguish him from another of the same name. He was one of the most enterprising of the Elizabethan sailors, who devoted themselves to the discovery of the North-west Passage. Davis Strait was discovered by, and named after, him. He made many voyages, in the last of which he met his death at the hands of a Japanese pirate. He was the author of a book, now very scarce,The World's Hydrographical Description, and he also wrote a work on practical navigation,The Seaman's Secrets, which had great repute.
DAVIS, THOMAS OSBORNE (1814-1845).—Poet,b.at Mallow,ed.at Trinity Coll., Dublin, and called to the Irish Bar 1838. He was one of the founders ofThe Nationnewspaper, and of the Young Ireland party. He wrote some stirring patriotic ballads, originally contributed toThe Nation, and afterwards republished asSpirit of the Nation, also a memoir of Curran the great Irish lawyer and orator, prefixed to an ed. of his speeches; and he had formed many literary plans which were brought to naught by his untimely death.
DAVY, SIR HUMPHREY (1778-1829).—Chemist and man of letters,s.of a wood-carver, wasb.at Penzance. He early showed an enthusiasm for natural science, and continued to pursue his studies when apprenticed in 1795 to a surgeon. He became specially interested in chemistry, to which in 1797 he began more exclusively to devote himself. Thereafter he assisted Dr. Beddoes in his laboratory at Bristol, and entered upon his brilliant course of chemical discovery. HisResearches, Chemical, and Philosophical(1799), led to his appointment as Director of the Chemical Laboratory at the Royal Institution, where he also delivered courses of scientific lectures with extraordinary popularity. Thereafter his life was a succession of scientific triumphs and honours. His great discovery was that of the metallic bases of the earths and alkalis. He also discovered various metals, including sodium, calcium, and magnesium. In 1812 he was knighted, andm.a wealthy widow. Thereafter he investigated volcanic action and fire-damp, and invented the safety lamp. In 1818 he wascr.a baronet, and in 1820 became Pres. of the Royal Society, to which he communicated his discoveries in electro-magnetism. In addition to his scientific writings, which includeElements of Agricultural Chemistry(1813), andChemical Agencies of Electricity, he wroteSalmonia, or Days of Fly Fishing(1828), somewhat modelled upon Walton, andConsolations in Travel(1830), dialogues on ethical and religious questions. D. sustained an apoplectic seizure in 1826, after which his health was much impaired, and after twice wintering in Italy, hed.at Geneva, where he received a public funeral. Though not attached to any Church, D. was a sincerely religious man, strongly opposed to materialism and scepticism. He holds a foremost place among scientific discoverers.
DAY, JOHN (b.1574).—Dramatist,s.of a Norfolk yeoman, was at Camb., 1592-3. It is only since 1881 that his works have been identified. He collaborated with Dekker and others in plays, and was the author ofThe Isle of Gulls(1606),Law Trickes(1608), andHumour out of Breath(1608), also of an allegorical masque,The Parliament of Bees.
DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789).—Miscellaneous writer, wasb.in London,ed.at the Charterhouse and at Oxf., and called to the Bar 1775, but having inherited in infancy an independence, he did not practise. He became a disciple of Rousseau in his social views, and endeavoured to put them in practice in combination with better morality. He was a benevolent eccentric, and used his income, which was increased by his marriage with an heiress, in schemes of social reform as he understood it. He is chiefly remembered as the author of the once universally-readHistory of Sandford and Merton.
DEFOE, DANIEL (1661?-1731).—Journalist and novelist,s.of a butcher in St. Giles, where he wasb.Hisf.being a Dissenter, he wased.at a Dissenting coll. at Newington with the view of becoming a Presbyterian minister. He joined the army of Monmouth, and on its defeat was fortunate enough to escape punishment. In 1688 he joined William III. Before settling down to his career as a political writer, D. had been engaged in various enterprises as a hosier, a merchant-adventurer to Spain and Portugal, and a brickmaker, all of which proved so unsuccessful that he had to fly from his creditors. Having become known to the government as an effective writer, and employed by them, he was appointed Accountant in the Glass-Duty Office, 1659-1699. Among his more important political writings are anEssay on Projects(1698), andThe True-born Englishman(1701), which had a remarkable success. In 1702 appearedThe Shortest Way with the Dissenters, written in a strain of grave irony which was, unfortunately for the author, misunderstood, and led to his being fined, imprisoned, and put in the pillory, which suggested hisHymns to the Pillory(1704). Notwithstanding the disfavour with the government which these disasters implied, D.'s knowledge of commercial affairs and practical ability were recognised by his being sent in 1706 to Scotland to aid in the Union negotiations. In the same yearJure Divino, a satire, followed by aHistory of the Union(1709), andThe Wars of Charles XII.(1715). Further misunderstandings and disappointments in connection with political matters led to his giving up this line of activity, and, fortunately for posterity, taking to fiction. The first and greatest of his novels,Robinson Crusoe, appeared in 1719, and its sequel (of greatly inferior interest) in 1720. These were followed byCaptain Singleton(1720),Moll Flanders,Colonel Jacque, andJournal of the Plague Year(1722),Memoirs of a Cavalier(1724),A New Voyage Round the World(1725), andCaptain Carlton(1728). Among his miscellaneous works arePolitical History of the Devil(1726),System of Magic(1727),The Complete English Tradesman(1727), andThe Review, a paper which he ed. In all hepub., including pamphlets, etc., about 250 works. All D.'s writings are distinguished by a clear, nervous style, and his works of fiction by aminute verisimilitude and naturalness of incident which has never been equalled except perhaps by Swift, whose genius his, in some other respects, resembled. The only description of his personal appearance is given in an advertisement intended to lead to his apprehension, and runs, "A middle-sized, spare man about forty years old, of a brown complexion, and dark brown-coloured hair, but wears a wig; a hooked nose, a sharp chin, grey eyes, and a large mole near his mouth." His mind was a peculiar amalgam of imagination and matter-of-fact, seeing strongly and clearly what he did see, but little conscious, apparently, of what lay outside his purview.
Livesby Chalmers (1786), H. Morley (1889), T. Wright (1894), and others; shorter works by Lamb, Hazlitt, L. Stephens, and Prof. Minto, Bohn'sBritish Classics, etc.
DEKKER, THOMAS (1570?-1641?).—Dramatist and miscellaneous writer, wasb.in London. Few details of D.'s life have come down to us, though he was a well-known writer in his day, and is believed to have written or contributed to over 20 dramas. He collaborated at various times with several of his fellow-dramatists, including Ben Jonson. Ultimately Jonson quarrelled with Marston and D., satirising them inThe Poetaster(1601), to which D. replied inSatiromastix(1602). D.'s best play isOld Fortunatus(1606), others areThe Shoemaker's Holiday(1600),Honest Whore(1604),Roaring Girl(1611),The Virgin Martyr(1622) (with Massinger), andThe Witch of Edmonton(1658) (with Ford and Rowley),History of Sir Thomas Wyat,Westward Ho, andNorthward Ho, all with Webster. His prose writings includeThe Gull's Hornbook(1609),The Seven Deadly Sins of London, andThe Belman of London(1608), satirical works which give interesting glimpses of the life of his time. His life appears to have been a somewhat chequered one, alternating between revelry and want. He is one of the most poetical of the older dramatists. Lamb said he "had poetry enough for anything."
DE LOLME, JOHN LOUIS (1740?-1807).—Political writer,b.at Geneva, has a place in English literature for his well-known work,The Constitution of England, written in French, and translated into English in 1775. He also wrote a comparison of the English Government with that of Sweden, aHistory of the Flagellants(1777), andThe British Empire in Europe(1787). He came to England in 1769, lived in great poverty, and having inherited a small fortune, returned to his native place in 1775.
DELONEY, THOMAS (1543-1600).—Novelist and balladist,appears to have worked as a silk-weaver in Norwich, but was in London by 1586, and in the course of the next 10 years is known to have written about 50 ballads, some of which involved him in trouble, and caused him to lieperduefor a time. It is only recently that his more important work as a novelist, in which he ranks with Greene and Nash, has received attention. He appears to have turned to this new field of effort when his original one was closed to him for the time. Less under the influence of Lyly and other preceding writers than Greene, he is more natural, simple, and direct, and writes of middle-class citizens and tradesmen with a light andpleasant humour. Of his novels,Thomas of Readingis in honour of clothiers,Jack of Newburycelebrates weaving, andThe Gentle Craftis dedicated to the praise of shoemakers. He "dy'd poorely," but was "honestly buried."