Rev. Richard Duke (?1658-1711) was an English poet and cleric.
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Duke was born at London, the son of an eminent citizen, probably a short time before the Restoration, since he was admitted to Westminster School in 1670. He was elected in 1675 to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a B.A. in 1678 and an M.A. in 1682.[1]
Poet and wit[]
He lived in close contact with the courtiers, play-writers, and actors, was a general favourite, and probably wrote much satirical verse, which can only be identified occasionally by internal evidence.[2]
Among the works by Duke, which have not been claimed for him, was the caustic satire on Titus Oates, printed by Nathanael Thompson, "A Panegyrick upon Oates," which is referred to in Duke's acknowledged companion poem, "An Epithalamium upon the Marriage of Captain William Bedloe," issued at Christmas 1679; this was followed, near the end of August 1680, by "Funeral Tears upon the Death of Captain William Bedloe." He complimented the queen at Cambridge, September 1681.[2]
Together with the Earl of Roscommon, Duke wrote several lampoons on the misguided Duke of Monmouth during his so-called progresses in the west. He wrote in 1683, being then a fellow of Trinity, an "Ode on the Marriage of Prince George of Denmark and the Lady Anne." On the death of Charles II he produced the poem beginning, "If the indulgent Muse," &c.[2]
He translated the 5th elegy of Ovid's book i.; the fourth and eighth odes of Horace, book ii.; the ninth ode (Horace and Lydia) of book iii.; and the Cyclops, idyl xi., of Theocritus, for Dryden, with whom he appears to have been on terms of friendship, although he addressed him elsewhere as "the unknown author of “Absalom and Achitophel." He praised him in a poem for his adaptation of Troilus and Cressida; he also complimented Thomas Creech (for his Lucretius), Nat Lee, Thomas Otway, and Edmund Waller. He translated two of Ovid's epistles in 1683.[2]
He wrote several original Latin poems and a translation of Juvenal's fourth satire. To Dryden's third Miscellany, 1693, he contributed anonymously 2 love songs. His detestation of Civil War is expressed in a poem "To the People of England." One of his Dryden Miscellany poems, "Floriana," had in 1684 celebrated the Duchess of Southampton.[2]
Divine[]
Before the accession of James II he entered into holy orders, and was in 1687 presented to the rectory of Blaby in Leicestershire. In 1688 he was made a prebendary of Gloucester, and soon afterwards became Gloucester proctor in convocation and also chaplain to Queen Anne. 3 of his sermons were separately published, while he was rector of Blaby and prebendary of Gloucester. These show that "he was a shrewd and sound divine." A small volume of 15 sermons, praised by Felton, was issued at Oxford in 1714. His clerical life was blameless.
Dr. Jonathan Trelawney, bishop of Winchester, in June 1707 made Duke his chaplain, and in July 1710 presented him to the rich living of Witney, Oxfordshire.
Having returned from an entertainment on Saturday night, 10 February 1711, he was found dead in his bed next morning.
Atterbury and Prior had been among his intimate friends, and on 16 Feb. (Swift writes in his Journal to Stella) they "went to bury poor Dr. Duke." "Dr. Duke," Swift writes, "died suddenly two or three nights ago; he was one of the wits when we were children, but turned parson and left it, but never writ further than a prologue or recommendatory copy of verses. He had a fine living given him by the Bishop of Winchester about three months ago; he got his living suddenly, and he got his dying so too" (ib.)
Writing[]
Johnson wrote: "His poems are not below mediocrity, nor have I found much in them to be praised. With the wit he seems to have shared the dissoluteness of the times."[2]
Duke's Poems upon Several Occasions were collected in 1717, and published in conjunction with those of Roscommon, including the fragmentary beginning of "The Review," declared to have been never before printed. Jacob Tonson says that it was written "a little after the publishing of Mr. Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel" in November 1681; "he was persuaded to undertake it by Mr. Sheridan, then secretary to the Duke of York; but Mr. Duke, finding Mr. Sheridan designed to make use of his pen to vent his spleen against several persons at court that were of another party than that he was engaged in, broke off proceeding in it, and left it as it is now printed."
Recognition[]
Samuel Johnson included Duke in his Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets.
Publications[]
- Funeral Tears upon the Death of Captain William Bedloe. London: J. Vade, 1681.
- Floriana: A pastoral upon the death of Her Grace the Duchess of Southampton. London: Samuel Cooke, 1681.
- Poems upon Several Occasions. London: Jacob Tonson, 1717.
Non-fiction[]
- Of the Imitation of Christ: A sermon. London: Tho. Warren for Thomas Bennet, 1703.
- A Sermon Preach'd before the Queen, at St. James's. London: Jacob Tonson, 1704.
- Of Christ's Kingdom: A sermon. London: E.P., for Tho. Bennet, 1704.
- Fifteen Sermons: Preach'd on several occasions. Oxford, UK: The Theatre, for Anth. Peisley, 1714; Oxford, UK: Leon. Lichfield, for Anth. Peisley, 1730.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[3]
See also[]
References[]
Ebsworth, Joseph Woodfall (1888) "Duke, Richard" in Stephen, Leslie Dictionary of National Biography 16 London: Smith, Elder, pp. 144-145. Wikisource, Web, Jan. 17,2017.
Notes[]
External links[]
- Poems
- Richard Duke at PoemHunter ("Funeral Tears upon the Death of Captain William Bedloe")
- About
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: Duke, Richard