Richard Flecknoe
Encyclopedia
Richard Flecknoe English
dramatist and poet
, the object of Dryden
's satire, was probably of English birth, although there is no corroboration of the suggestion of Joseph Gillow
, that he was a nephew of a Jesuit
priest, William Flecknoe, or more properly Flexney, of Oxford.
The few known facts of his life are chiefly derived from his Relation of Ten Years' Travels in Europe, Asia, Afrique and America (1655?), consisting of letters written to friends and patrons during his travels. The first of these is dated from Ghent
(1640), whither he had fled to escape the troubles of the Civil War
. In Brussels
he met Béatrix de Cusance
, wife of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
, who sent him to Rome
to secure the legalization of her marriage. There in 1645 Andrew Marvell
met him, and described his leanness and his rage for versifying in a witty satire, "Flecknoe, an English Priest at Rome." He was probably, however, not in priest's orders.
He then travelled in the Levant
, and in 1648 crossed the Atlantic
to Brazil
, of which country he gives a detailed description. On his return to Europe he entered the household of the duchess of Lorraine in Brussels. In 1645 he went back to England. His royalist and Catholic convictions did not prevent him from writing a book in praise of Oliver Cromwell
, The Idea of His Highness Oliver ... (1650), dedicated to Richard Cromwell
. This publication was discounted at the restoration by the Heroick Portraits (1660) of Charles II
and others of the Stuart family. John Dryden used his name as a stalking horse from behind which to assail Thomas Shadwell
in Mac Flecknoe (1682) The opening lines run:
Dryden's aversion seems to have been caused by Flecknoe's affectation of contempt for the players and his attacks on the immorality of the English stage. His verse, which hardly deserved his critic's sweeping condemnation, was much of it religious, and was chiefly printed for private circulation. None of his plays was acted except Love's Dominion, announced as a "pattern for the reformed stage" (1654), that title being altered in 1664 to Love's Kingdom, with a Discourse of the English Stage. He amused himself, however, by adding lists of the actors whom he would have selected for the parts, had the plays been staged. Flecknoe had many connections among English Catholics, and is said by Gerard Langbaine
, to have been better acquainted with the nobility than with the muses.
A Discourse of the English Stage, was reprinted in WC Hazlitt
's English Drama and Stage (Roxburghe Library, 1869); Robert Southey
, in his Omniana (1812), protested against the wholesale depreciation of Flecknoe's works. See also "Richard Flecknoe" (Leipzig, 1905, in Münchener Beiträge zur ... Philologie), by A Lohr, who has given minute attention to his life and works.
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 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, the object of Dryden
John Dryden
John 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 satire, was probably of English birth, although there is no corroboration of the suggestion of Joseph Gillow
Joseph Gillow
Joseph Gillow was an English Roman Catholic antiquary and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics"....
, that he was a nephew of a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
priest, William Flecknoe, or more properly Flexney, of Oxford.
The few known facts of his life are chiefly derived from his Relation of Ten Years' Travels in Europe, Asia, Afrique and America (1655?), consisting of letters written to friends and patrons during his travels. The first of these is dated from Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
(1640), whither he had fled to escape the troubles of the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
he met Béatrix de Cusance
Béatrix de Cusance
Béatrice de Cusance , was a duchess consort of Lorraine; married 1637 to Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine.Issue:*Francis de Lorraine ;...
, wife of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
Charles IV was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 to 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, and again from 1661 until 1675.- Biography :...
, who sent him to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to secure the legalization of her marriage. There in 1645 Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
met him, and described his leanness and his rage for versifying in a witty satire, "Flecknoe, an English Priest at Rome." He was probably, however, not in priest's orders.
He then travelled in the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
, and in 1648 crossed the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, of which country he gives a detailed description. On his return to Europe he entered the household of the duchess of Lorraine in Brussels. In 1645 he went back to England. His royalist and Catholic convictions did not prevent him from writing a book in praise of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, The Idea of His Highness Oliver ... (1650), dedicated to Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
. This publication was discounted at the restoration by the Heroick Portraits (1660) of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and others of the Stuart family. John Dryden used his name as a stalking horse from behind which to assail Thomas Shadwell
Thomas Shadwell
Thomas Shadwell was an English poet and playwright who was appointed poet laureate in 1689.-Life:Shadwell was born at Stanton Hall, Norfolk, and educated at Bury St Edmunds School, and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which he entered in 1656. He left the university without a degree, and...
in Mac Flecknoe (1682) The opening lines run:
"All human things are subject to decay,
And, when fate summons, monarchs must obey.
This F'lecknoe found, who, like Augustus, young
Was called to empire, and had governed long;
In prose and verse was owned, without dispute,
Throughout the realms of nonsense, absolute."
Dryden's aversion seems to have been caused by Flecknoe's affectation of contempt for the players and his attacks on the immorality of the English stage. His verse, which hardly deserved his critic's sweeping condemnation, was much of it religious, and was chiefly printed for private circulation. None of his plays was acted except Love's Dominion, announced as a "pattern for the reformed stage" (1654), that title being altered in 1664 to Love's Kingdom, with a Discourse of the English Stage. He amused himself, however, by adding lists of the actors whom he would have selected for the parts, had the plays been staged. Flecknoe had many connections among English Catholics, and is said by Gerard Langbaine
Gerard Langbaine
Gerard Langbaine was an English dramatic biographer and critic, best known for his An Account of the English Dramatic Poets , the earliest work to give biographical and critical information on the playwrights of English Renaissance theatre...
, to have been better acquainted with the nobility than with the muses.
A Discourse of the English Stage, was reprinted in WC Hazlitt
William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt was an English writer, remembered for his humanistic essays and literary criticism, and as a grammarian and philosopher. He is now considered one of the great critics and essayists of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. Yet his work is...
's English Drama and Stage (Roxburghe Library, 1869); Robert Southey
Robert Southey
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843...
, in his Omniana (1812), protested against the wholesale depreciation of Flecknoe's works. See also "Richard Flecknoe" (Leipzig, 1905, in Münchener Beiträge zur ... Philologie), by A Lohr, who has given minute attention to his life and works.