John Mottley
Encyclopedia
John Mottley was an English writer, known as a dramatist, biographer, and compiler of jokes.
adherent of James II in his exile, who entered the service of Louis XIV, and was killed at the battle of Turin
in 1706; his mother was Dionisia, daughter of John Guise of Ablode Court, Gloucestershire
. John was born in London, was educated at Archbishop Thomas Tenison
's grammar school in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields
, and obtained a clerkship in the excise office in 1708. He was compelled to resign his post in 1720, and from that time gained a precarious subsistence by his pen.
He died in 1750, having for some years previously been almost bedridden with gout
.
, in the time of Genseric
, who with the Empress Eudoxia and her daughter plays a principal part. The play was produced at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in February 1719–20. At the same theatre was produced in April 1721 Mottley's only other effort in tragedy, ‘Antiochus,’ based on the story of the surrender by Seleucus Nicator of his wife Stratonice to his son Antiochus. Both tragedies were printed on their production.
In comedy Mottley was more successful. In a humorous vein are his dramatic opera, ‘Penelope,’ in which he was assisted by Thomas Cooke
(1703–1756), a satire on Alexander Pope
's ‘Odyssey,’ and his farce ‘The Craftsman, or Weekly Journalist’ (both performed at the Haymarket, and printed in 1728 and 1729 respectively). His comedy, ‘The Widow Bewitched,’ produced at Goodman's Fields Theatre in 1730, and printed, was a successful play.
Mottley was joint author with Charles Coffey
of the comic opera, ‘The Devil to pay, or the Wives Metamorphosed,’ produced at Drury Lane on 6 August 1731, and frequently revived. Under the pseudonym of Robert Seymour he edited in 1734 (perhaps with the assistance of Thomas Cooke) John Stow
's ‘Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster’ (London, 2 volumes). Under the pseudonym of Elijah Jenkins he published in 1739 the classic jest-book, ‘Joe Miller's Jests, or the Wit's Vade Mecum’ (see Joe Miller).
Mottley is also the author of two historical works: ‘The History of the Life of Peter I, Emperor of Russia,’ London, 1739, 2 vols.; and ‘The History of the Life and Reign of the Empress Catharine, containing a short History of the Russian Empire from its first Foundation to the Time of the Death of that Princess,’ London, 1744, 2 vols. He is the reputed author of the ‘Compleat List of all the English Dramatic Poets and of all the Plays ever printed in the English Language to the Present Year 1747,’ appended to Thomas Whincop
's ‘Scanderbeg,’ from internal evidence it being clear he at least wrote the article on himself. A portrait is mentioned by Bromley.
Life
He was the son of Colonel Thomas Mottley, a JacobiteJacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
adherent of James II in his exile, who entered the service of Louis XIV, and was killed at the battle of Turin
Battle of Turin
The Siege of Turin was undertaken by the Duke of Orléans and Marshal de la Feuillade between May and September 1706 against the Savoyard city of Turin during the War of the Spanish Succession...
in 1706; his mother was Dionisia, daughter of John Guise of Ablode Court, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. John was born in London, was educated at Archbishop Thomas Tenison
Thomas Tenison
Thomas Tenison was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs.-Life:...
's grammar school in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Its patron is Saint Martin of Tours.-Roman era:Excavations at the site in 2006 led to the discovery of a grave dated about 410...
, and obtained a clerkship in the excise office in 1708. He was compelled to resign his post in 1720, and from that time gained a precarious subsistence by his pen.
He died in 1750, having for some years previously been almost bedridden with gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
.
Works
He made his debut as a dramatic author with a tragedy in the pseudo-classic style, entitled ‘The Imperial Captives,’ the scene of which is laid at CarthageCarthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, in the time of Genseric
Genseric
Genseric , also spelled as Geiseric or Gaiseric, was King of the Vandals and Alans and was one of the key players in the troubles of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century...
, who with the Empress Eudoxia and her daughter plays a principal part. The play was produced at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in February 1719–20. At the same theatre was produced in April 1721 Mottley's only other effort in tragedy, ‘Antiochus,’ based on the story of the surrender by Seleucus Nicator of his wife Stratonice to his son Antiochus. Both tragedies were printed on their production.
In comedy Mottley was more successful. In a humorous vein are his dramatic opera, ‘Penelope,’ in which he was assisted by Thomas Cooke
Thomas Cooke (author)
Thomas Cooke , often called "Hesiod" Cooke, was a very active English translator and author who ran afoul of Alexander Pope and was mentioned as one of the "dunces" in Pope's Dunciad. His father was an inn keeper, and Cooke arrived in London in 1722 and began working as a writer for the Whig causes...
(1703–1756), a satire on 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...
's ‘Odyssey,’ and his farce ‘The Craftsman, or Weekly Journalist’ (both performed at the Haymarket, and printed in 1728 and 1729 respectively). His comedy, ‘The Widow Bewitched,’ produced at Goodman's Fields Theatre in 1730, and printed, was a successful play.
Mottley was joint author with Charles Coffey
Charles Coffey
Charles Coffey was an Irish playwright and composer.His best known opera is probably The Beggar’s Wedding , which capitalizes on the success of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera...
of the comic opera, ‘The Devil to pay, or the Wives Metamorphosed,’ produced at Drury Lane on 6 August 1731, and frequently revived. Under the pseudonym of Robert Seymour he edited in 1734 (perhaps with the assistance of Thomas Cooke) John Stow
John Stow
John Stow was an English historian and antiquarian.-Early life:The son of Thomas Stow, a tallow-chandler, he was born about 1525 in London, in the parish of St Michael, Cornhill. His father's whole rent for his house and garden was only 6s. 6d. a year, and Stow in his youth fetched milk every...
's ‘Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster’ (London, 2 volumes). Under the pseudonym of Elijah Jenkins he published in 1739 the classic jest-book, ‘Joe Miller's Jests, or the Wit's Vade Mecum’ (see Joe Miller).
Thomas Whincop
-Life:He is identified as the son of Thomas Whincop, D.D., rector of St Mary Abchurch. On that basis he was educated at Merchant Taylor's School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He lost considerable sums in the South Sea bubble during 1721, and died at Totteridge, where he was buried on 1...
's ‘Scanderbeg,’ from internal evidence it being clear he at least wrote the article on himself. A portrait is mentioned by Bromley.