Samuel Boyse
Encyclopedia
Samuel Boyse was an Irish poet and writer who worked for Sir Robert Walpole
and whose religious verses in particular were prized and reprinted in his time.
, a dissenting (Presbyterian) minister. He studied in Dublin, then Glasgow University; he had no profession other than writer, a career which took him to Edinburgh and London. He married at the age of 20.
Boyse "had many brilliant opportunities for advancement, all of which he wasted by almost inexplicable recklessness", according to William Lloyd Phelps. "Debts at length drove him from Edinburgh. He often had to beg for the smallest coins, and wrote verses in bed to obtain money for clothes and food.".
Boyse became a regular contributor to Gentleman's Magazine, where he wrote under the pen name
s "Alcaeus" and "Y". Boyse was patronized by Sir Robert Walpole
, but later fell into poverty during the latter part of his life. He was sometimes regarded as dissolute, sometimes as insane.
His religious verse was valued, and his poetry was collected and reprinted. He died of consumption
, although the circumstances of his death have been disputed.
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
and whose religious verses in particular were prized and reprinted in his time.
Life
Born in Dublin, Boyse was the son of Joseph BoyseJoseph Boyse
Joseph Boyse was an English presbyterian minister in Ireland, and controversialist.-Early life:Boyse was born at Leeds, England on 14 January 1660, one of sixteen children of Matthew Boyse, a Puritan, formerly elder of the church at Rowley, New England, and afterwards a resident for about eighteen...
, a dissenting (Presbyterian) minister. He studied in Dublin, then Glasgow University; he had no profession other than writer, a career which took him to Edinburgh and London. He married at the age of 20.
Boyse "had many brilliant opportunities for advancement, all of which he wasted by almost inexplicable recklessness", according to William Lloyd Phelps. "Debts at length drove him from Edinburgh. He often had to beg for the smallest coins, and wrote verses in bed to obtain money for clothes and food.".
Boyse became a regular contributor to Gentleman's Magazine, where he wrote under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s "Alcaeus" and "Y". Boyse was patronized by Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, but later fell into poverty during the latter part of his life. He was sometimes regarded as dissolute, sometimes as insane.
His religious verse was valued, and his poetry was collected and reprinted. He died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, although the circumstances of his death have been disputed.
External links
- "Samuel Boyse" at the English Poetry: 1579 - 1830: Spenser and the Tradition website, with texts and information on numerous poems by Boyse