Benjamin Motte
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Motte was a London publisher and son of Benjamin Motte, Sr.
Motte published many works and is well known for his publishing of Jonathan Swift
's Gulliver's Travels
.
It was not under 7 February 1715 that Motte was free from his publishing patrimony, and he took off as a bookseller in 1719. Motte's place of business in Fleet Street
(London) was located in Middle Temple Gate. This space was passed to Motte by his predecessor, Benjamin Tooke, and then passed to Motte's replacement, Charles Bathurst, in 1738 upon his death. Motte was then asked to become partners with the Tooke publishing firm after Benjamin Tooke's brother, Samuel Tooke, died in late 1723, and as he took the position, he became the only active member of the publishing firm. On 21 December 1725, Motte married Elizabeth, the daughter of Rev. Thomas Brian, and had two children.
Throughout his career, Motte had three apprentices during his career: George Hall, Thomas Isborne, and Jonathan Russell. After taking over the Tooke publishing firm, he partnered with his brother, Charles, until 1731. Although he had no partner from 1731–1734, Motte took up his apprentice, Charles Bathurst, as his apprentice.
In 1726, Jonathan Swift
sent Motte a copy of Gulliver's Travels
, to be printed anonymously. Motte took great care to protect the identity of the author and employed five publishing houses to speed production of the book and avoid pirating. In 1727, Motte formed his first direct contract with Swift and Alexander Pope
in order to publish their Miscellanies. As part of the contract, Motte paid Tooke for the original copyright to the work. Motte's work with Jonathan Swift was complicated and risky; one, An Epistle to a Lady, brought about Motte's arrest in 1734.
Edmund Curll
, as was his habit, claimed that he had the rights to some of Swift's miscellanies. Curll had obtained the works illegitimately and had published them to spite Swift, and he used the controversy with Motte to attempt to generate publicity. Although Curll was unwilling to do anything about the reproduction, Pope turned from Motte as his publisher for a fourth edition of the Miscellanies over a payment dispute and other publication-related complaints. Pope finally bought out his contract with Motte for twenty-five pounds.
Near the end of his life, in 1735, Motte sued the printer George Faulkner
of Dublin over Faulkner's importing into Britain of Swift's Works. In Motte v. Faulkner
, Motte claimed that that many of the works reproduced were under copyright held by Motte from the purchase of the original copyright for many of Swift's writings from Tooke and from a contract directly with Swift to publish Gulliver's Travels. The London courts upheld Motte's claim and ordered that Faulkner's edition of Swift's Works to be kept from importation into England.
.
English Works published by Motte:
Works published by Motte and other publishers:
English translations published by Motte:
English translations published by Motte and other publishers:
Misc. contributions:
Motte's edition of Isaac Newton
's Principia
(1729) was translated by Andrew Motte (1696–1734), his brother a mathematician
and very briefly the lecturer on geometry
at Gresham College
. This was the first English edition and the first translated edition that included the Scholium Generale found in the second Latin edition (1726). This edition was the most commonly taught version of Newton's Principia in English and was therefore considered the "authorized version". However, even when later revised by Florian Cajori
this edition was deemed "awkward" and "inaccurate" in some locations since it was based on the second Latin edition.
Motte's edition of William Giffard's Cases in midwifry is the earliest published record of using Chamberlen forceps
during childbirth
.
Benjamin Motte, Sr.
Benjamin Motte, Sr. was a London publisher and father of Benjamin Motte, Andrew Motte, and Charles Motte.-Background:Little is known on the exact background of Benjamin Motte, Sr., but his last record as a publisher is from 1712, when he was still registered with his son, Charles, as his...
Motte published many works and is well known for his publishing of Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
's Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
.
Background
Benjamin Motte was born in St Botoloph (Aldersgate), London to Benjamin Motte Sr. and Anne Clarke. He was born in early November 1693 and baptized soon after on 14 November. Some of his first mentions are of his early publications and when he took over Benjamin Tooke's publishing business.It was not under 7 February 1715 that Motte was free from his publishing patrimony, and he took off as a bookseller in 1719. Motte's place of business in Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
(London) was located in Middle Temple Gate. This space was passed to Motte by his predecessor, Benjamin Tooke, and then passed to Motte's replacement, Charles Bathurst, in 1738 upon his death. Motte was then asked to become partners with the Tooke publishing firm after Benjamin Tooke's brother, Samuel Tooke, died in late 1723, and as he took the position, he became the only active member of the publishing firm. On 21 December 1725, Motte married Elizabeth, the daughter of Rev. Thomas Brian, and had two children.
Throughout his career, Motte had three apprentices during his career: George Hall, Thomas Isborne, and Jonathan Russell. After taking over the Tooke publishing firm, he partnered with his brother, Charles, until 1731. Although he had no partner from 1731–1734, Motte took up his apprentice, Charles Bathurst, as his apprentice.
In 1726, Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
sent Motte a copy of Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
, to be printed anonymously. Motte took great care to protect the identity of the author and employed five publishing houses to speed production of the book and avoid pirating. In 1727, Motte formed his first direct contract with Swift and Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
in order to publish their Miscellanies. As part of the contract, Motte paid Tooke for the original copyright to the work. Motte's work with Jonathan Swift was complicated and risky; one, An Epistle to a Lady, brought about Motte's arrest in 1734.
Edmund Curll
Edmund Curll
Edmund Curll was an English bookseller and publisher. His name has become synonymous, through the attacks on him by Alexander Pope, with unscrupulous publication and publicity. Curll rose from poverty to wealth through his publishing, and he did this by approaching book printing in a mercenary...
, as was his habit, claimed that he had the rights to some of Swift's miscellanies. Curll had obtained the works illegitimately and had published them to spite Swift, and he used the controversy with Motte to attempt to generate publicity. Although Curll was unwilling to do anything about the reproduction, Pope turned from Motte as his publisher for a fourth edition of the Miscellanies over a payment dispute and other publication-related complaints. Pope finally bought out his contract with Motte for twenty-five pounds.
Near the end of his life, in 1735, Motte sued the printer George Faulkner
George Faulkner
George Faulkner was one of the most important Irish printers and booksellers. He forged a publishing relationship with Jonathan Swift and parlayed that fame into an extensive trade...
of Dublin over Faulkner's importing into Britain of Swift's Works. In Motte v. Faulkner
Motte v. Faulkner
Motte v Faulkner was a copyright lawsuit between Benjamin Motte and George Faulkner over who had the legal rights to publish the works of Jonathan Swift in London. This trial was one of the first to test the Statute of Anne copyright law in regards to Irish publishing independence...
, Motte claimed that that many of the works reproduced were under copyright held by Motte from the purchase of the original copyright for many of Swift's writings from Tooke and from a contract directly with Swift to publish Gulliver's Travels. The London courts upheld Motte's claim and ordered that Faulkner's edition of Swift's Works to be kept from importation into England.
Publications
Although Motte is most known for his production of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, he produced other great works. Many of these works were published on his own, but he did work with many other printers including Samuel Ballard, Charles Bathurst, Bernard Lintot, William Mears, James Round, George Strahan, and Jacob TonsonJacob Tonson
Jacob Tonson, sometimes referred to as Jacob Tonson the elder was an 18th-century English bookseller and publisher....
.
English Works published by Motte:
- Eustace BudgellEustace BudgellEustace Budgell was an English writer and politician.Born in St Thomas near Exeter, Budgell was educated at Oxford University. His cousin, the writer Joseph Addison, took him to Ireland and got him appointed to a lucrative office...
's Works - Samuel ButlerSamuel Butler (poet)Samuel Butler was a poet and satirist. Born in Strensham, Worcestershire and baptised 14 February 1613, he is remembered now chiefly for a long satirical burlesque poem on Puritanism entitled Hudibras.-Biography:...
's HudibrasHudibrasHudibras is an English mock heroic narrative poem from the 17th century written by Samuel Butler.-Purpose:The work is a satirical polemic upon Roundheads, Puritans, Presbyterians and many of the other factions involved in the English Civil War... - William ChillingworthWilliam ChillingworthWilliam Chillingworth was a controversial English churchman.-Early life:He was born in Oxford, where his father served as mayor; William Laud was his godfather. In June 1618 he became a scholar of Trinity College, Oxford, of which he was made a fellow in June 1628...
's Works - William Giffard's Cases in midwifry (1734)
- Alexander Pope's "Verses on Gulliver"
- Hans SloaneHans SloaneSir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, PRS was an Ulster-Scot physician and collector, notable for bequeathing his collection to the British nation which became the foundation of the British Museum...
- A Voyage to the Islands of Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica - Jonathan Swift's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the WorldGulliver's TravelsTravels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
- Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope's Miscellanies in Prose and Verse (1727, 1728, 1732)
- Joseph Thurston The Toilette (1730)
- John VanbrughJohn VanbrughSir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
's Works - William WycherleyWilliam WycherleyWilliam Wycherley was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for the plays The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer.-Biography:...
's Country Wife (1731)
Works published by Motte and other publishers:
- Abraham CowleyAbraham CowleyAbraham Cowley was an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721.-Early life and career:...
Works translation - Mears and Strahan - John DrydenJohn DrydenJohn Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
's Don Sebastian - Strahan - George FarquharGeorge FarquharGeorge Farquhar was an Irish dramatist. He is noted for his contributions to late Restoration comedy, particularly for his plays The Recruiting Officer and The Beaux' Stratagem .-Early life:...
's Comedies Lintot and Strahan - Thomas OtwayThomas OtwayThomas Otway was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for Venice Preserv'd, or A Plot Discover'd .-Life:...
's Venice Preserv'd - Strahan - Thomas Otway's Works - Lintot, Strahan, and Tonson
- J. Saunders Saunders The compleat fisherman (1724) - Mears and S. Tooke
- Jonathan Swift's A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation (1738) - Bathurst
- William Willymott's English examples to Lily’s grammar-rules, for children’s Latin exercises (1727) - Round
English translations published by Motte:
- DemosthenesDemosthenesDemosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by...
's Works - EuclidEuclidEuclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...
's ElementsEuclid's ElementsEuclid's Elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise consisting of 13 books written by the Greek mathematician Euclid in Alexandria c. 300 BC. It is a collection of definitions, postulates , propositions , and mathematical proofs of the propositions... - Eutropius's Works
- Isaac NewtonIsaac NewtonSir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia MathematicaPhilosophiae Naturalis Principia MathematicaPhilosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Latin for "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", often referred to as simply the Principia, is a work in three books by Sir Isaac Newton, first published 5 July 1687. Newton also published two further editions, in 1713 and 1726...
(as The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy..., 1729) - Andrea PozzoAndrea PozzoAndrea Pozzo was an Italian Jesuit Brother, Baroque painter and architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. He was best known for his grandiose frescoes using illusionistic technique called quadratura, in which architecture and fancy are intermixed...
's Rules and Examples of Perspective Proper for Painters and Architects (1707) - TerenceTerencePublius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
Works - Jacques Auguste de ThouJacques Auguste de ThouJacques Auguste de Thou was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parlement de Paris.-Life:...
's Works - Gerhard Johann VossiusGerhard Johann Vossiusthumb|180px|Gerrit Johan VossiusGerrit Janszoon Vos , often known by his Latin name Gerardus Vossius, was a Dutch classical scholar and theologian.-Life:...
's Works
English translations published by Motte and other publishers:
- Desiderius ErasmusDesiderius ErasmusDesiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
's Colloquia - Strahan - JuvenalJuvenalThe Satires are a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD.Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a...
's Works - Ballard and Mears - Samuel von PufendorfSamuel von PufendorfBaron Samuel von Pufendorf was a German jurist, political philosopher, economist, statesman, and historian. His name was just Samuel Pufendorf until he was ennobled in 1684; he was made a Freiherr a few months before his death in 1694...
- The Whole Duty of Man, According to the Law of Nature (1735) - trans. Andrew TookeAndrew TookeAndrew Tooke was an English scholar, headmaster of Charterhouse School, Gresham Professor of Geometry, Fellow of the Royal Society and translator of Tooke's Pantheon, a standard textbook for a century on Greek mythology.-Life:...
, R. Gosling and J. Pemberton - SallustSallustGaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
's Works - Ballard - SenecaSeneca the YoungerLucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
's Epistulae morales ad LuciliumEpistulae morales ad LuciliumThe Epistulae morales ad Lucilium is a bundle of 124 letters which were written by Seneca the Younger at the end of his life. These letters all start with the phrase "Seneca Lucilio suo salutem" and end with the word "Vale" . In these letters, Seneca gives Lucilius tips on how to become a more...
- Lintot, Strahan, and Tonson - ThucydidesThucydidesThucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
's History of the Peloponnesian WarHistory of the Peloponnesian WarThe History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League and the Delian League . It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who served in the war. It is widely considered a classic and regarded as one of the...
- Lintot
Misc. contributions:
- Dan Brown's Oratio Dominica "The Lords Prayer in Above a Hundred Languages, Versions, and Characters." (1713) - Motte was typographer for the various languages of the Lord's PrayerLord's PrayerThe Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
. He also wrote the preface and signed it "B. M. Typogr. Lond." - The Royal Society's The Philosophical Transactions From the Year 1700 (Where Mr Lowthorp Ends) to the Year 1720 edited by Motte in 1721.
Notable publications
The 1728 The Last Volume of Swift and Pope's Miscellanies including Pope's Peri Bathous provoked many pamphlets to be produced against the books.Motte's edition of Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
's Principia
Principia
Principia could refer to:*Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Isaac Newton's three-volume work containing explanations of his laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation*Principia , a stem-group coralline alga...
(1729) was translated by Andrew Motte (1696–1734), his brother a mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and very briefly the lecturer on geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
at Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
. This was the first English edition and the first translated edition that included the Scholium Generale found in the second Latin edition (1726). This edition was the most commonly taught version of Newton's Principia in English and was therefore considered the "authorized version". However, even when later revised by Florian Cajori
Florian Cajori
Florian Cajori was one of the most celebrated historians of mathematics in his day.- Biography :...
this edition was deemed "awkward" and "inaccurate" in some locations since it was based on the second Latin edition.
Motte's edition of William Giffard's Cases in midwifry is the earliest published record of using Chamberlen forceps
Forceps
Forceps or forcipes are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forceps are used when fingers are too large to grasp small objects or when many objects need to be held at one time while the hands are used to perform a task. The term 'forceps' is used almost exclusively...
during childbirth
Forceps in childbirth
Forceps are a surgical instrument that resembles a pair of tongs and can be used in surgery for grabbing, maneuvering, or removing various things within or from the body...
.