1723 in literature
Encyclopedia
The year 1723 in literature involved some significant events and new books.
Events
- VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
contracts smallpoxSmallpoxSmallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. - The book collection of Samuel PepysSamuel PepysSamuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
is transferred to the Pepys LibraryPepys LibraryThe Pepys Library of Magdalene College, Cambridge, is the personal library collected by Samuel Pepys which he bequeathed to the college following his death in 1703....
at Magdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
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New books
- Penelope AubinPenelope AubinPenelope Aubin was an English novelist and translator.-Works:* The Stuarts : A Pindarique Ode * The Extasy: A Pindarick Ode to Her Majesty The Queen...
- The Life of Charlotta Du Pont, an English lady; taken from her own memoirs - Jane BarkerJane BarkerJane Barker was an English poet and novelist of the early 18th century. The Amours of Bosvil and Galesia was considered her most successful work. A staunch Jacobite, she followed King James II of England into exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France shortly after James’ defeat in the Glorious...
- A Patch-Work Screen for the Ladies (fiction) - Arthur Blackamore - Luck at Last
- Richard BlackmoreRichard BlackmoreSir Richard Blackmore , English poet and physician, is remembered primarily as the object of satire and as an example of a dull poet. He was, however, a respected physician and religious writer....
- Alfred - Elegy on the deplorable Death of Elizabeth Murray Sister to Sir William Murray of Newtoun barb'rously murdered by her Husband Thomas Kincaid younger of Gogar-Mains, March 29th 1723 (anonymous broadsheet)
- Eliza HaywoodEliza HaywoodEliza Haywood , born Elizabeth Fowler, was an English writer, actress and publisher. Since the 1980s, Eliza Haywood’s literary works have been gaining in recognition and interest...
- Idalia - Thomas GordonThomas GordonThomas Gordon may refer to:* Thomas Gordon , American lawyer and politician of the colonial period, see New Jersey Attorney General* Thomas Gordon , British writer...
and John TrenchardJohn Trenchard (writer)John Trenchard , English writer and Commonwealthman, belonged to the same Dorset family as the Secretary of State Sir John Trenchard.Trenchard was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a lawyer...
- Cato's LettersCato's LettersCato's Letters were essays by British writers John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, first published from 1720 to 1723 under the pseudonym of Cato , the implacable foe of Julius Caesar and a famously stubborn champion of republican principles.... - John Sheffield, Duke of BuckinghamJohn Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and NormanbyJohn Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, KG, PC , was a poet and notable Tory politician of the late Stuart period, who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council.-Career:...
- Works - Ned WardNed WardNed Ward , also known as Edward Ward, was a satirical writer and publican in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century based in London, England. His most famous work is The London Spy. Published in 18 monthly instalments starting in November 1698 it was described as a "complete survey" of...
- Nuptial Dialogues and Debates
New drama
- Susanna CentlivreSusanna CentlivreSusanna Centlivre born Susanna Freeman, also known professionally as Susanna Carroll, was an English poet, actress and one of the premier dramatists of the 18th century. During her long career at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, she became known as the Second Woman of the English Stage after Aphra Behn...
- The Artifice - Elijah FentonElijah Fenton-Life:Born in Shelton , and educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, for a time he acted as secretary to the Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery in Flanders, and was then Master of Sevenoaks Grammar School.In 1707, Fenton published a book of poems...
- Marianne - Eliza HaywoodEliza HaywoodEliza Haywood , born Elizabeth Fowler, was an English writer, actress and publisher. Since the 1980s, Eliza Haywood’s literary works have been gaining in recognition and interest...
- A Wife to be Let - Charles JohnsonCharles Johnson (writer)Charles Johnson was an English playwright, tavern keeper, and enemy of Alexander Pope's. He was a dedicated Whig who allied himself with the Duke of Marlborough, Colley Cibber, and those who rose in opposition to Queen Anne's Tory ministry of 1710 - 1714.Johnson claimed to be trained in the law,...
- Love in a Forest (adapted from As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
) - Pierre de MarivauxPierre de MarivauxPierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux , commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French novelist and dramatist....
- La Double InconstanceLa Double InconstanceLa Double Inconstance is a three-act romantic comedy by French playwright Marivaux. Its title is usually translated into English as The Double Inconsistency. La Double Inconstance was first performed 6 April 1723 by the Comédie Italienne. In this play, a young woman is kidnapped from her lover by... - Ambrose PhilipsAmbrose Philips-Life:He was born in Shropshire of a Leicestershire family. He was educated at Shrewsbury School and St John's College, Cambridge, of which he became a fellow in 1699. He seems to have lived chiefly at Cambridge until he resigned his fellowship in 1708, and his pastorals were probably written in...
- Humfrey, Duke of Floucester - Richard SteeleRichard SteeleSir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator....
- The Conscious LoversThe Conscious LoversThe Conscious Lovers is a five act play written by the English author Richard Steele. The Conscious Lovers appeared on stage on November 7, 1722, at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and was an immediate success, with an initial run of eighteen consecutive nights....
Poetry
- David Mallet - William and Margaret
- William MestonWilliam MestonWilliam Meston was a Scottish poet.The son of a blacksmith, he was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, took part in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, and had to go into hiding. His Knight of the Kirk is an imitation of Hudibras....
- Knight of the Kirk - Ambrose PhilipsAmbrose Philips-Life:He was born in Shropshire of a Leicestershire family. He was educated at Shrewsbury School and St John's College, Cambridge, of which he became a fellow in 1699. He seems to have lived chiefly at Cambridge until he resigned his fellowship in 1708, and his pastorals were probably written in...
- Ode on the Death of William, Earl of Cowper - Matthew PriorMatthew PriorMatthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat.Prior was the son of a Nonconformist joiner at Wimborne Minster, East Dorset. His father moved to London, and sent him to Westminster School, under Dr. Busby. On his father's death, he left school, and was cared for by his uncle, a vintner in Channel...
- Down-Hall
- The Turtle and the Sparrow
- Allan RamsayAllan Ramsay (poet)Allan Ramsay was a Scottish poet , playwright, publisher, librarian and wig-maker.-Life and career:...
- The Tea-Table Miscellany i.
Non-fiction
- Anderson's Constitutions of the Freemasons
- Henry BakerHenry BakerHenry Baker may refer to:* Henry Baker , English*Henry Baker *Henry Williams Baker, hymn writer*Henry Aaron Baker, architect* Henry Baker...
- An Invocation of Health - Bernard de MandevilleBernard de MandevilleBernard Mandeville, or Bernard de Mandeville , was a philosopher, political economist and satirist. Born in the Netherlands, he lived most of his life in England and used English for most of his published works...
- A Search into the Nature of Society
Births
- January 21 (or June 21) - Baron d'HolbachBaron d'HolbachPaul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach was a French-German author, philosopher, encyclopedist and a prominent figure in the French Enlightenment. He was born Paul Heinrich Dietrich in Edesheim, near Landau in the Rhenish Palatinate, but lived and worked mainly in Paris, where he kept a salon...
- philosopher, encyclopedist (died 1789) - February 23 - Richard PriceRichard PriceRichard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
, philosopher (died 1791) - February 24 - John BurgoyneJohn BurgoyneGeneral John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
, soldier and dramatist (died 1792) - June 20 - Adam FergusonAdam FergusonAdam Ferguson FRSE, also known as Ferguson of Raith was a Scottish philosopher, social scientist and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment...
, philosopher and historian (died 1816) - July 11 - Jean-François MarmontelJean-François MarmontelJean-François Marmontel was a French historian and writer, a member of the Encyclopediste movement.-Biography:He was born of poor parents at Bort, Limousin...
, French novelist and dramatist (died 1799) - July 17 - Adam SmithAdam SmithAdam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
- Scottish economist (died 1790) - September 30 - William Hutton (historian), local historian
- November 8 - John ByronJohn ByronVice Admiral The Hon. John Byron, RN was a Royal Navy officer. He was known as Foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with weather.-Early career:...
, English vice-admiral, grandfather of the poet Lord Byron (died 1786) - November 30 - William LivingstonWilliam LivingstonWilliam Livingston served as the Governor of New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War and was a signer of the United States Constitution.-Early life:...
, American politician and journalist (died 1790) - December 26 - Friedrich Melchior, baron von GrimmFriedrich Melchior, baron von GrimmFriedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm was a German-born French author.-Early years:Grimm was born at Regensburg, the son of a pastor...
(died 1807)
Deaths
- February 26 - Thomas D'UrfeyThomas d'UrfeyThomas D'Urfey was an English writer and wit. He composed plays, songs, and poetry, in addition to writing jokes. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the Ballad opera....
, dramatist (born 1653) - March 13 - René Auguste Constantin de RennevilleRené Auguste Constantin de RennevilleRené Auguste Constantin de Renneville , was a French writer.He was born at Caen. Because of his Protestant principles, Renneville left France for the Netherlands in 1699. On his return three years later he was denounced as a spy and imprisoned in the Bastille, where he remained until 1713...
, French Protestant poet and historian (born 1650) - March 15 - Johann Christian GüntherJohann Christian GüntherJohann Christian Günther was a German poet from Striegau in Lower Silesia. After attending the gymnasium at Schweidnitz, he was sent in 1715 by his father, a country doctor, to study medicine at Wittenberg; but he was idle and dissipated, had no taste for the profession chosen for him, and came to...
, German poet (born 1695) - May 11 - Jean Galbert de CampistronJean Galbert de CampistronJean Galbert de Campistron was a French dramatist-Biography:Campistron was born in Toulouse, France to a noble family.At the age of seventeen he was wounded in a duel and sent to Paris...
, dramatist (born 1656) - June 8 - Isaac Chayyim CantariniIsaac Chayyim CantariniIsaac Chayyim Cantarini, also known as Isaacus Viva, was an Italian poet, writer, physician, rabbi and preacher. He studied Hebrew and the Talmud with Solomon Marini, author of the Tiqqun 'Olam, and with the poet Moses Catalano. His instructor in secular subjects was Bernardo de Laurentius...
, Italian poet, physician and preacher (born 1644) - July 28 - Marianna AlcoforadoMarianna AlcoforadoSóror Mariana Alcoforado , was a Portuguese nun, living in the convent of the Poor Ladies in Beja, Portugal....
, author of Letters of a Portuguese Nun (born 1640) - August 21 - Dimitrie CantemirDimitrie CantemirDimitrie Cantemir was twice Prince of Moldavia . He was also a prolific man of letters – philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and geographer....
, first author in the Romanian languageRomanian languageRomanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
(born 1673) - September 23 - Jacques BasnagesJacques BasnagesJacques Basnage De Beauval was a celebrated Protestant divine, preacher, linguist, writer and man of affairs. He wrote a History of the Reformed Churches and on Jewish Antiquities.-Biography:...
, Protestant poet, linguist and preacher (born 1653) - December 1 - Susannah Centlivre, dramatist (born 1669)
- December 17 - John TrenchardJohn Trenchard (writer)John Trenchard , English writer and Commonwealthman, belonged to the same Dorset family as the Secretary of State Sir John Trenchard.Trenchard was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a lawyer...
, politician and writer (born 1662)