Fettiplace Bellers
Encyclopedia
Fettiplace Bellers was an English
dramatist and philosophical writer. His most notable written work was a philosophical volume called "A Delineation of Universal Law".
, Holborn
, London
on the 23 September 1687, the son of John Bellers
and his wife Frances (née Fettiplace). His parents were members of the Society of Friends, and his father was the notable writer of many tracts on the employment of the poor and other topics. Fettiplace left the Quaker faith, an act perhaps explained in the title of his anonymous play, "Injur'd Innocence, a tragedy" (London, 1732) which was performed at the Drury Lane Theatre
, London, in February 1732. The plot was partly taken from William Davenant
's "Unfortunate Lovers". The play was not successful, though it was performed six or eight times.
A work, "Of the Ends of Society", which did not appear until 1759, was drawn up in 1722. It is an outline of matters relating to government and social organisation, arranged in an elaborate classification. His most important work, however, is "A Delineation of Universal Law: being an Abstract or Essay towards deducing the Elements of Natural Law from the First Principles of Knowledge and the Nature of Things. In a methodical and connected series. In five books : (1) Of law in general, (2) Of private law, (3) Of criminal law, (4) Of the laws of magistracy, (5) Of the law of nations". It was printed for Dodsley
in 1750. The advertisement for the work shows that this was a posthumous publication, although "proposals", and perhaps a specimen copy, had been issued at an earlier date; the advertisement goes on to state that "the author had been engaged in the great work of which this is an abstract for twenty years". Lowndes
, Allibone
, and Smith speak of this as having been issued in 1740, but this appears to be an error for 1750. A second edition is recorded for 1754, and a third for 1759.
Lowndes described "A Delineation of Universal Law" as "an excellent outline" whilst Marvin, referring to the long time that the author spent upon the work, says: "It is with a feeling of regret, mingled with something like reproach, that we find the labours of twenty years so wasted, and reflect upon the great expenditure of time and diligence that has been destitute of any useful result.' The advertisement to the "Delineation" printed in 1750 distinctly states that Bellers was then dead, and yet the official archives of the Royal Society record that he was elected a fellow 30 Nov. 1711, was admitted 17 April 1712, and withdrew from the society 12 April 1752. The puzzle was solved by a letter which shows that he was actually deceased before 19 August 1742.
According to a memorandum made by Mendes de Costa, the remains of his collections were in the hands of Ingram, Esq., at Northleach, in Gloucestershire (according to the DNB, 1885).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dramatist and philosophical writer. His most notable written work was a philosophical volume called "A Delineation of Universal Law".
Life and work
Bellers was born in the parish of St. Andrew'sSt Andrew, Holborn
St Andrew, Holborn is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without.-Roman and medieval:Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 excavations in the crypt...
, Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the 23 September 1687, the son of John Bellers
John Bellers
John Bellers was an English educational theorist and Quaker, author of Proposals for Raising a College of Industry of All Useful Trades and Husbandry .-Life:...
and his wife Frances (née Fettiplace). His parents were members of the Society of Friends, and his father was the notable writer of many tracts on the employment of the poor and other topics. Fettiplace left the Quaker faith, an act perhaps explained in the title of his anonymous play, "Injur'd Innocence, a tragedy" (London, 1732) which was performed at the Drury Lane Theatre
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
, London, in February 1732. The plot was partly taken from William Davenant
William Davenant
Sir William Davenant , also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned both the Caroline and Restoration eras and who was active both before and after the English Civil...
's "Unfortunate Lovers". The play was not successful, though it was performed six or eight times.
A work, "Of the Ends of Society", which did not appear until 1759, was drawn up in 1722. It is an outline of matters relating to government and social organisation, arranged in an elaborate classification. His most important work, however, is "A Delineation of Universal Law: being an Abstract or Essay towards deducing the Elements of Natural Law from the First Principles of Knowledge and the Nature of Things. In a methodical and connected series. In five books : (1) Of law in general, (2) Of private law, (3) Of criminal law, (4) Of the laws of magistracy, (5) Of the law of nations". It was printed for Dodsley
Robert Dodsley
Robert Dodsley was an English bookseller and miscellaneous writer.-Life:He was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school....
in 1750. The advertisement for the work shows that this was a posthumous publication, although "proposals", and perhaps a specimen copy, had been issued at an earlier date; the advertisement goes on to state that "the author had been engaged in the great work of which this is an abstract for twenty years". Lowndes
William Thomas Lowndes
William Thomas Lowndes , English bibliographer, was born about 1798, the son of a London bookseller.His principal work, The Bibliographer’s Manual of English Literature—the first systematic work of the kind—was published in four volumes in 1834...
, Allibone
Samuel Austin Allibone
Samuel Austin Allibone was an American author and bibliographer.-Biography:He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of French Huguenot and Quaker ancestry. He was privately educated and for many years was engaged in mercantile business in his native city...
, and Smith speak of this as having been issued in 1740, but this appears to be an error for 1750. A second edition is recorded for 1754, and a third for 1759.
Lowndes described "A Delineation of Universal Law" as "an excellent outline" whilst Marvin, referring to the long time that the author spent upon the work, says: "It is with a feeling of regret, mingled with something like reproach, that we find the labours of twenty years so wasted, and reflect upon the great expenditure of time and diligence that has been destitute of any useful result.' The advertisement to the "Delineation" printed in 1750 distinctly states that Bellers was then dead, and yet the official archives of the Royal Society record that he was elected a fellow 30 Nov. 1711, was admitted 17 April 1712, and withdrew from the society 12 April 1752. The puzzle was solved by a letter which shows that he was actually deceased before 19 August 1742.
According to a memorandum made by Mendes de Costa, the remains of his collections were in the hands of Ingram, Esq., at Northleach, in Gloucestershire (according to the DNB, 1885).