Antoine Hamilton
Encyclopedia
Antoine Hamilton (1646 – 21 April 1720) was an Irish
classical author of near Scottish
ancestry, who wrote in French.
He is especially noteworthy from the fact that, though by birth he was a foreigner, his literary characteristics are more decidedly French than those of many of the most indubitable Frenchmen. His father was George Hamilton, younger brother of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn
, and putative 6th duke of Châtellerault
in the peerage of France; and his mother was Mary Butler, sister of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
. According to some authorities he was born at Drogheda
, but according to the London edition of his works in 1811 his birthplace was Roscrea, Tipperary
.
From the age of four until he was fourteen the boy was brought up in France, where his family had fled after the execution of Charles I
. The fact that, like his father, he was a Roman Catholic, prevented his receiving the political promotion he might otherwise have expected on the Restoration
of the monarchy in 1660, but he became a distinguished member of that brilliant band of courtiers whose chronicler he was to become. He served in the French army, and the marriage of his sister Elizabeth, "la belle Hamilton"
, to Philibert, comte de Gramont
committed him more closely to France. On the accession of James II
to the British throne, he obtained an infantry regiment in Ireland, and was appointed governor of Limerick
and a member of the privy council. However, the Battle of the Boyne
, at which he was present, brought disaster on the cause of the Stuarts, and before long he was again an exile in France.
The rest of his life was spent for the most part at the court of St Germain and in the châteaux of his friends. With Ludovise, duchesse du Maine, he became an especial favourite, and it was at her seat at Sceaux
that he wrote the Mémoires that made him famous. He died at St Germain-en-Laye.
It is mainly by the Mémoires du comte de Gramont that Hamilton takes rank with the most classical writers of France. It was said to have been written at Gramont's dictation, but it is very evident that Hamilton's share is the most considerable. Written between 1704 and 1710, the work was first published anonymously in 1713 (apparently without Hamilton's knowledge) under the rubric of Cologne, but it was really printed in the Netherlands, at that time the great patroness of all questionable authors. An English translation by Boyer appeared in 1714. Upwards of thirty editions have since appeared, the best of the French being Renouard's (1812), forming part of a collected edition of Hamilton's works, and Gustave Brunet's (1859), and the best of the English, Edwards's (1793), with 78 engravings from portraits in the royal collections at Windsor and elsewhere, AF Bertrand de Moleville's (2 vols, 1811), with 64 portraits by E Scriven and others, and Gordon Goodwin's (2 vols, 1903). Peter Quennell's fine translation (Routledge, 1930) includes extensive commentary by Cyril Hughes Hartmann. The original edition was reprinted by Benjamin Pifteau in 1876.
In imitation and satiric parody of the romantic tales which Antoine Galland
's translation of The Thousand and One Nights had brought into favour in France, Hamilton wrote, partly for the amusement of Henrietta Bulkley, sister of the duchess of Berwick, to whom he was much attached, four ironic and extravagant contes, Le Bélier, Fleur d'Epine, Zeneyde and Les quatre Facardins. The saying in Le Belier, "Belier, mon ami, tu me ferais plaisir si tu voulais commencer par le commencement," has passed into a proverb. These tales were circulated privately during Hamilton's lifetime, and the first three appeared in Paris in 1730, ten years after the death of the author; a collection of his Œuvres diverses in 1731 contained the unfinished Zeneyde. An 1849 omnibus entitled Fairy Tales and Romances contains English translations of all his fiction.
Hamilton was also the author of some songs as exquisite in their way as his prose, and interchanged amusing verses with the Duke of Berwick
. In the name of his niece, the countess of Stafford, Hamilton maintained a witty correspondence with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
See notices of Hamilton in Lescure's edition (1873) of the Contes, Sainte-Beuve
's Causeries du lundi, tome 1, Sayou's Histoire de la littérature française a l'étranger (1853), and by LS Auger in the Œuvres completes (1804). In English, Ruth Clark's Anthony Hamilton: His Life and Works and His family (1921) is a thorough, erudite study.
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Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
classical author of near Scottish
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
ancestry, who wrote in French.
He is especially noteworthy from the fact that, though by birth he was a foreigner, his literary characteristics are more decidedly French than those of many of the most indubitable Frenchmen. His father was George Hamilton, younger brother of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn was a Scottish and Irish nobleman, the eldest son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn and Marion Boyd.-Biography:In 1617, he was created Baron Hamilton of Strabane...
, and putative 6th duke of Châtellerault
Châtellerault
Châtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
in the peerage of France; and his mother was Mary Butler, sister of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde PC was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the second of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom. He was the friend of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, who appointeed him commander of the Cavalier forces in Ireland. From 1641 to 1647, he...
. According to some authorities he was born at Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
, but according to the London edition of his works in 1811 his birthplace was Roscrea, Tipperary
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
.
From the age of four until he was fourteen the boy was brought up in France, where his family had fled after the execution of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. The fact that, like his father, he was a Roman Catholic, prevented his receiving the political promotion he might otherwise have expected on the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of the monarchy in 1660, but he became a distinguished member of that brilliant band of courtiers whose chronicler he was to become. He served in the French army, and the marriage of his sister Elizabeth, "la belle Hamilton"
Elizabeth, Countess de Grammont
Elizabeth, Countess de Grammont was a British courtier and a French lady in waiting. She was one of the Windsor Beauties, painted by Sir Peter Lely. She was Dame du Palais to Maria Theresa of Spain....
, to Philibert, comte de Gramont
Philibert, comte de Gramont
Philibert, comte de Gramont was a French nobleman, known as the protagonist of the Mémoires written by Antoine Hamilton.-Biography:Came of a noble Gascon family, said to have been of Basque origin....
committed him more closely to France. On the accession of James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
to the British throne, he obtained an infantry regiment in Ireland, and was appointed governor of Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
and a member of the privy council. However, the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
, at which he was present, brought disaster on the cause of the Stuarts, and before long he was again an exile in France.
The rest of his life was spent for the most part at the court of St Germain and in the châteaux of his friends. With Ludovise, duchesse du Maine, he became an especial favourite, and it was at her seat at Sceaux
Sceaux
Sceaux is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Sceaux, Yonne, in the Yonne département* Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, in the Hauts-de-Seine département, famous for the Château de Sceaux...
that he wrote the Mémoires that made him famous. He died at St Germain-en-Laye.
It is mainly by the Mémoires du comte de Gramont that Hamilton takes rank with the most classical writers of France. It was said to have been written at Gramont's dictation, but it is very evident that Hamilton's share is the most considerable. Written between 1704 and 1710, the work was first published anonymously in 1713 (apparently without Hamilton's knowledge) under the rubric of Cologne, but it was really printed in the Netherlands, at that time the great patroness of all questionable authors. An English translation by Boyer appeared in 1714. Upwards of thirty editions have since appeared, the best of the French being Renouard's (1812), forming part of a collected edition of Hamilton's works, and Gustave Brunet's (1859), and the best of the English, Edwards's (1793), with 78 engravings from portraits in the royal collections at Windsor and elsewhere, AF Bertrand de Moleville's (2 vols, 1811), with 64 portraits by E Scriven and others, and Gordon Goodwin's (2 vols, 1903). Peter Quennell's fine translation (Routledge, 1930) includes extensive commentary by Cyril Hughes Hartmann. The original edition was reprinted by Benjamin Pifteau in 1876.
In imitation and satiric parody of the romantic tales which Antoine Galland
Antoine Galland
Antoine Galland was a French orientalist and archaeologist, most famous as the first European translator of The Thousand and One Nights...
's translation of The Thousand and One Nights had brought into favour in France, Hamilton wrote, partly for the amusement of Henrietta Bulkley, sister of the duchess of Berwick, to whom he was much attached, four ironic and extravagant contes, Le Bélier, Fleur d'Epine, Zeneyde and Les quatre Facardins. The saying in Le Belier, "Belier, mon ami, tu me ferais plaisir si tu voulais commencer par le commencement," has passed into a proverb. These tales were circulated privately during Hamilton's lifetime, and the first three appeared in Paris in 1730, ten years after the death of the author; a collection of his Œuvres diverses in 1731 contained the unfinished Zeneyde. An 1849 omnibus entitled Fairy Tales and Romances contains English translations of all his fiction.
Hamilton was also the author of some songs as exquisite in their way as his prose, and interchanged amusing verses with the Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough...
. In the name of his niece, the countess of Stafford, Hamilton maintained a witty correspondence with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
See notices of Hamilton in Lescure's edition (1873) of the Contes, Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve was a literary critic and one of the major figures of French literary history.-Early years:...
's Causeries du lundi, tome 1, Sayou's Histoire de la littérature française a l'étranger (1853), and by LS Auger in the Œuvres completes (1804). In English, Ruth Clark's Anthony Hamilton: His Life and Works and His family (1921) is a thorough, erudite study.
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