Edward Burnaby Greene

Edward Burnaby Greene (died 1788), Privilege: A poem (1764). Forgotten Books, 2018. Courtesy Amazon.com.

Edward Burnaby Greene (died 12 March 1788) was an English poet and translator.

Life

Greene was the oldest son of Edward Burnaby (died 1759), a chief clerk of the treasury, by his wife Elizabeth (Greene) (died. 1754), daughter of Thomas Greene (died 1740), a wealthy brewer of St. Margaret's, Westminster (will of Thomas Greene registered in P.C.C. 225, Browne). On the death of his aunt, Miss Frances Greene, on 30 Dec. 1740, he inherited his grandfather's fortune, £4,000 a year, and his business; and in the following year an act of parliament was passed to enable him, then an infant, to assume the surname of Greene in addition to that of Burnaby.

As Edward Greene Burnaby he entered Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, on 22 September 1755, as a fellow-commoner under the tuition of Mr. Barnardiston (College Register), but did not take a degree.

He then became a brewer, knowing-nothing of the business, and lived in considerable luxury at Westminster, and at Northlands, or Norlands, Kensington.

On 12 Feb. 1761 he married a Miss Cartwright of Kensington,, who died before him, leaving 3 children, Anne, Pitt, and Emma.

He contracted an enormous debt; in 1779 his property was sold, and he was forced to retire to a lodging. His valuable library was sold at auction by Christie.

Greene died on 12 March 1788.

Writing

Greene's literary attempts, turgid translations from the Greek and Latin poets, and feeble imitations of Gray and Shenstone, brought him little save ridicule. The following is probably an incomplete list: 1. ‘An Imitation of the Tenth Epistle of the First Book of Horace,’ 4to, London, 1756. (See Boswell, Life of Johnson, ed. Hill, i. 517.) 2. ‘Cam. An Elegy,’ a satire on the appointment of the Duke of Newcastle as chancellor of the university. ByE.B.G[reene],4to, London, 1764 (another edition in vol. lxxxix. of ‘The British Poets,’ 12mo, London, 1822). 3. ‘The Laureat, a Poem inscribed to the Memory of Charles Churchill,’ by E.B.G[reene], 4to, London, 1765. 4. ‘An Essay on Pastoral Poetry,’ prefixed to ‘The Idylliums of Theocritus, translated from the Greek with notes … by Francis Fawkes,’ 8vo, London, 1767. 5. ‘The Works of Anacreon and Sappho; with pieces from Ancient Authors (Bion, Moschus, Virgil, Horace), and occasional Essays; … [E.B.G(reene)]. With the Classic, an introductory Poem,’ 8vo, London, 1768; the translation of Anacreon was included in the ‘édition polyglotte’ of that poet, 8vo, Paris (Lyon), 1835. 6. ‘Critical Essays:’ observations on Longinus; the influence of government on the mental faculties; and essays on the fourth, fifth, and sixth book of the ‘Æneid’ [by E.B.G(reene)], 8vo, London, 1770. 7. ‘Poetical Essays’ [E.B.G(reene)], 8vo, London, 1772. 8. ‘Hero and Leander, a Poem from the Greek of Musæus’ [by E.B.G(reene)],4to, London, 1773. 9. ‘Ode Pindarica [by Thomas Gray] pro Cambriæ vatibus, Latino carmine reddita’ [by E.B.G(reene)], 4to, London, 1775. 10. ‘The Latin Odes of Mr. Gray, in English Verse [translated by E.B.G(reene)], with an Ode [signed E.B.G.] on the death of a favourite Spaniel,’ 4to, London, 1775. 11. ‘The Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian Odes of Pindar, translated into English Verse, with remarks’ [by E.B.G(reene)], 4to, London, 1778 (another edition, with the versions of G. West and H.J. Pye, 2 vols. 12mo, London, 1810 ; also in vol. vi. of ‘The Works of the Greek and Roman Poets,’ 16mo, London, 1813). This wretched version afforded no little mirth to the wits of the ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ (Gent. Mag. 1782, pp. 253, 342). 12. ‘Substance of Political Debates on his Majesty's Speech on the Address and Amendment, Nov. 25, 1779,’ 8vo, London, 1779. 13. ‘The Satires of Persius paraphrastically imitated’ [byE.B.G(reene)], 8vo, London, 1779. 14. ‘The Argonautic Expedition,’ translated from the Greek with notes, &c. [by E.B.G(reene)], 2 vols. 8vo, London, 1780. This was severely criticised by ‘D. H.’ (Richard Gough) in the ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ for August, September, and October 1782. 15. ‘Ode inscribed to Leonard Smelt, Esq., 1780,’ 4to, London, 1780. 16. ‘Whispers for the ear of the Author of Thelyphthora [Martin Madan] …,’ 8vo, London, 1781. 17. ‘Strictures upon a Pamphlet [by Edmund Malone]’ upon Chatterton's Rowley poems, 8vo, London, 1782. 18. ‘Ode to the Humane Society,’ 4to, London, 1784; printed gratuitously by John Nichols for the benefit of that institution (Nichols, Lit. Anecd. viii. 148-9). Greene contributed occasionally to the ‘Gentleman's Magazine;’ his best piece being a ‘Pastoral’ contributed to the number for June 1757.

Publications

Poetry

• The Tenth Epistle of the First Book of Horace, Imitated. London: E. Ross, 1756.
• The Satires of Juvenal; paraphrastically imitated. London: J. Ridley, 1763.
• Friendship: A satire. London: J. Ridley, 1763.
• The Tower: A poetical epistle; inscribed to John Wilkes, Esq. London: J. Ridley, 1763.
• Cam: An elegy. London: W. Flexney / G. Kearsley / J. Coote / et al, 1764.
• The Chaplain: A poem. London: J. Ridley, 1764.
• Privilege: A poem. London: J. Ridley, 1764.
• The Laureate: A poem, inscribed to the memory of Churchill. London: J. Ridley, 1765.
• The Politician: A poem. . London: J. Ridley, 1766.
• Corsica: An ode. London: J. Ridley, 1768.
• The Satires of Perseus, paraphrastically imitated. London: T. Spilsbury, for J. Dodsley, 1779.
• An Ode to the Humane Society. London: C. Dilly, 1784.

Non-fiction

• A Defence of Mr. Rousseau. London: S. Bladon, 1766.
• "An Essay on Pastoral Poetry" in Theocritus, The Idylliums (translated by Francis Fawkes). London: D. Leach, 1767.
• Critical essays. London: T. Spilsbury, for J. Ridley, 1770; facsimile edition, Menston, UK: Scolar Press, 1973.
• Poetical Essays. London: J. Ridley, 1772.
• Substance of Political Debates on His Majesty's Speech. London: R. Faulder, 1779.
• Political Reasonings of Edmund Burke. London: R. Faulder, 1780.
• Short but Serious Truths. London: R. Faulder, 1780.
• Whispers for the Ear of the Author of Thelyphtora. London: H. Payne, 1781.
• Strictures upon a pamphlet intitled, Cursory observations on the poems attributed to Rowley. London: J. Stockdale, 1782.

Translated

• Works of Anacreon and Sappho; with pieces of ancient authors. London: J. Ridley, 1768.
• Musaeus, Hero and Leander: A poem. London: J. Ridley, 1773.
• Pindar, The Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian Odes Translated. London: 1778.
• Thomas Gray, The Latin Odes: In English verse. London: J. Ridley, 1775.
• Appolonius Rhodius, The Argonautic Expedition. London: Thomas Payne, 1780.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• List of British poets

References

 Goodwin, Gordon (1890) "Greene, Edward Burnaby" in Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney Dictionary of National Biography 23 London: Smith, Elder, pp. 62-63 . Wikisource, Web, July 4, 2016.

External links

Poems

• "To the Lernede Deane Percy: Greteying"

Books

• Greene, Edward Burnaby at the Online Books Page
• Edward Burnaby Greene at Amazon.com

About

• Edward Burnaby Greene (1740 ca.-1788) at English Poetry, 1579-1830

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the Dictionary of National Biography (edited by Leslie Stephen). London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900. Original article is at: Greene, Edward Burnaby