Edward Quillinan
Encyclopedia
Edward Quillinan was an English poet who was a son-in-law and defender of William Wordsworth
and a translator of Portuguese poetry.
, Portugal, on 12 Aug. 1791, the son of Edward Quillinan, an Irishman of a good but impoverished family, who had become a prosperous wine merchant at Oporto. His mother, whose maiden name was Ryan, died soon after her son had been sent, in 1798, to England, to be educated at Roman Catholic schools. Returning to Portugal, he entered his father's counting-house
, but this distasteful employment ceased upon the French invasion under Jean-Andoche Junot
in 1807, which obliged the family to seek refuge in England.
in a cavalry regiment, from which, after seeing some service at Walcheren
, he passed into another regiment, stationed at Canterbury. A satirical pamphlet in verse, The Ball Room Votaries, involved him in a series of duels, and compelled him to exchange into the 3rd Dragoon Guards
, with which he served through the latter portion of the Peninsular war
. In 1814 he made his first serious essay in poetry by publishing Dunluce Castle, a Poem, which he followed with Stanzas by the author of Dunluce Castle (1814), and The Sacrifice of Isabel (a more important effort in 1816), and Elegiac Verses addressed to Lady Brydges in memory of her son, Grey Matthew Brydges (1817).
In 1817 he married Jemima, second daughter of Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges
and subsequently served with his regiment in Ireland. In 1819 Dunluce Castle attracted the notice of Thomas Hamilton
the original "Morgan O'Doherty" of Blackwood's Magazine
, who ridiculed it in a review entitled Poems by a Heavy Dragoon. Quillinan deferred his rejoinder until 1821, when he attacked John Wilson
and John Gibson Lockhart
, whom he erroneously supposed to be the writers, in his Retort Courteous, a satire largely consisting of passages from Peter's Letters to his Kinsfolk, done into verse. The misunderstanding was dissipated through the friendly offices of Robert Pearse Gillies, and all parties became good friends.
. The union encountered strong opposition on Wordsworth's part, not from dislike of Quillinan, but from dread of losing his daughter's society. He eventually submitted with a good grace, and became fully reconciled to Quillinan, who proved an excellent husband and son-in-law. In 1841 Quillinan published The Conspirators, a three-volume novel, embodying his recollections of military service in Spain and Portugal. In 1843 he appeared in Blackwood as the defender of Wordsworth against Walter Savage Landor
, who had attacked his poetry in an imaginary conversation
with Richard Porson
, published in the magazine. Quillinan's reply was a cento
of all the harsh pronouncements of the erratic critic respecting great poets, and the effect was to invalidate as a whole criticisms that might have been defensible individually. Landor dismissed his remarks as "Quill-inanities;" Wordsworth himself is said to have regarded the defence as indiscreet.
In 1845 the delicate health of his wife induced Quillinan to travel with her for a year in Portugal and Spain, and the excursion produced a charming book from her pen. In 1846 he contributed an extremely valuable article to the Quarterly Review
on Gil Vicente
, the Portuguese dramatic poet. In 1847 Dora died, and four years later (8 July 1851) Quillinan himself died (at Loughrig Holme, Ambleside) of inflammation, occasioned by taking cold upon a fishing excursion; he was buried in Grasmere churchyard. His latter years had been chiefly employed in translations of Luís de Camões
' Lusiad
, five books of which were completed, and of Alexandre Herculano
's History of Portugal. The latter, also left imperfect, was never printed; the Lusiad was published in 1853 by John Adamson
, another translator of Camoen's. A selection from Quillinan's original poems, principally lyrical, with a memoir, was published in the same year by William Johnston
, the editor of Wordsworth.
, writing in 1830, "are very much attached to him." "Nowhere," says Johnston, speaking of his correspondence during his wife's hopeless illness, "has the writer of this memoir ever seen letters more distinctly marked by manly sense, combined with almost feminine tenderness." Matthew Arnold
in his Stanzas in Memory of Edward Quillinan, speaks of him as "a man unspoil'd, sweet, generous, and humane." As an original poet his claims are of the slenderest; his poems would hardly have been preserved but for the regard due to his personal character and his relationship to Wordsworth. His version of the Lusiad, nevertheless, though wanting his final corrections, has considerable merit, and he might have rendered important service to two countries if he had devoted his life to the translation and illustration of Portuguese literature.
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and a translator of Portuguese poetry.
Early life
He was born at OportoPorto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal, on 12 Aug. 1791, the son of Edward Quillinan, an Irishman of a good but impoverished family, who had become a prosperous wine merchant at Oporto. His mother, whose maiden name was Ryan, died soon after her son had been sent, in 1798, to England, to be educated at Roman Catholic schools. Returning to Portugal, he entered his father's counting-house
Counting house
A counting house, or compting house, literally is the building, room, office or suite in which a business firm carries on operations, particularly accounting. By a synecdoche, it has come to mean the accounting operations of a firm, however housed...
, but this distasteful employment ceased upon the French invasion under Jean-Andoche Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot
Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantès was a French general during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
in 1807, which obliged the family to seek refuge in England.
Military service and early works
After spending some time without any occupation, he entered the army as a cornetCornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
in a cavalry regiment, from which, after seeing some service at Walcheren
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
, he passed into another regiment, stationed at Canterbury. A satirical pamphlet in verse, The Ball Room Votaries, involved him in a series of duels, and compelled him to exchange into the 3rd Dragoon Guards
3rd Dragoon Guards
The 3rd Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922....
, with which he served through the latter portion of the Peninsular war
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. In 1814 he made his first serious essay in poetry by publishing Dunluce Castle, a Poem, which he followed with Stanzas by the author of Dunluce Castle (1814), and The Sacrifice of Isabel (a more important effort in 1816), and Elegiac Verses addressed to Lady Brydges in memory of her son, Grey Matthew Brydges (1817).
In 1817 he married Jemima, second daughter of Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges
Samuel Egerton Brydges
Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, 1st Baronet was an English bibliographer and genealogist. He was also Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1812 to 1818....
and subsequently served with his regiment in Ireland. In 1819 Dunluce Castle attracted the notice of Thomas Hamilton
Thomas Hamilton (writer)
Thomas Hamilton , Scottish writer, was the younger brother of the philosopher, William Hamilton.He was educated at Glasgow University, where he made a close friend of Michael Scott, the author of Tom Cringle's Log. He entered the army in 1810, and served throughout the Peninsular and American...
the original "Morgan O'Doherty" of Blackwood's Magazine
Blackwood's Magazine
Blackwood's Magazine was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine. The first number appeared in April 1817 under the editorship of Thomas Pringle and James Cleghorn...
, who ridiculed it in a review entitled Poems by a Heavy Dragoon. Quillinan deferred his rejoinder until 1821, when he attacked John Wilson
John Wilson (Scottish writer)
John Wilson of Ellerey FRSE was a Scottish advocate, literary critic and author, the writer most frequently identified with the pseudonym Christopher North of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine....
and John Gibson Lockhart
John Gibson Lockhart
John Gibson Lockhart , was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the definitive "Life" of Sir Walter Scott...
, whom he erroneously supposed to be the writers, in his Retort Courteous, a satire largely consisting of passages from Peter's Letters to his Kinsfolk, done into verse. The misunderstanding was dissipated through the friendly offices of Robert Pearse Gillies, and all parties became good friends.
Later career
In 1821 Quillinan retired from the army, and settled at Spring Cottage, between Rydal and Ambleside, and thus in the immediate neighbourhood of Wordsworth, whose poetry he had long devotedly admired. Scarcely was he established there when a tragic fate overtook his wife, who died from the effects of burns, 25 May 1822, leaving two daughters. Wordsworth was godfather of the younger daughter, and he wrote an epitaph on Mrs. Quillinan. Distracted with grief, Quillinan fled to the continent, and afterwards lived alternately in London, Paris, Portugal, and Canterbury, until 1841, when he married Wordsworth's daughter, Dora WordsworthDora Wordsworth
Dora Wordsworth was the only surviving daughter of William Wordsworth , major Romantic poet and British Poet Laureate. Her babyhood inspired Wordsworth to write the beautiful "Address To My Infant Daughter" in her honour...
. The union encountered strong opposition on Wordsworth's part, not from dislike of Quillinan, but from dread of losing his daughter's society. He eventually submitted with a good grace, and became fully reconciled to Quillinan, who proved an excellent husband and son-in-law. In 1841 Quillinan published The Conspirators, a three-volume novel, embodying his recollections of military service in Spain and Portugal. In 1843 he appeared in Blackwood as the defender of Wordsworth against Walter Savage Landor
Walter Savage Landor
Walter Savage Landor was an English writer and poet. His best known works were the prose Imaginary Conversations, and the poem Rose Aylmer, but the critical acclaim he received from contemporary poets and reviewers was not matched by public popularity...
, who had attacked his poetry in an imaginary conversation
Imaginary Conversations
Imaginary Conversations is the best-known prose work of the English poet and author Walter Savage Landor. It comprises 6 volumes of imaginary conversations between personalities of classical Greece and Rome, poets and authors, statesmen and women, and fortunate and unfortunate...
with Richard Porson
Richard Porson
Richard Porson was an English classical scholar. He was the discoverer of Porson's Law; and the Greek typeface Porson was based on his handwriting.-Early life:...
, published in the magazine. Quillinan's reply was a cento
Cento (poetry)
A cento is a poetical work wholly composed of verses or passages taken from other authors; only disposed in a new form or order.- History :The term comes from the Latin cento, a cloak made of patches; and that from the Greek κέντρων. The Roman soldiers used these centones, or old stuffs patched...
of all the harsh pronouncements of the erratic critic respecting great poets, and the effect was to invalidate as a whole criticisms that might have been defensible individually. Landor dismissed his remarks as "Quill-inanities;" Wordsworth himself is said to have regarded the defence as indiscreet.
In 1845 the delicate health of his wife induced Quillinan to travel with her for a year in Portugal and Spain, and the excursion produced a charming book from her pen. In 1846 he contributed an extremely valuable article to the Quarterly Review
Quarterly Review
The Quarterly Review was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967.-Early years:...
on Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente , called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus,"[3] often referred to as the "Father of Portuguese drama" and as one of Western literature's...
, the Portuguese dramatic poet. In 1847 Dora died, and four years later (8 July 1851) Quillinan himself died (at Loughrig Holme, Ambleside) of inflammation, occasioned by taking cold upon a fishing excursion; he was buried in Grasmere churchyard. His latter years had been chiefly employed in translations of Luís de Camões
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...
' Lusiad
Os Lusíadas
Os Lusíadas , usually translated as The Lusiads, is a Portuguese epic poem by Luís Vaz de Camões ....
, five books of which were completed, and of Alexandre Herculano
Alexandre Herculano
Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e Araújo , was a Portuguese novelist and historian.-Early life:...
's History of Portugal. The latter, also left imperfect, was never printed; the Lusiad was published in 1853 by John Adamson
John Adamson (antiquary)
John Adamson was an antiquary and Portuguese scholar from Newcastle upon Tyne.His early education was at Newcastle Royal Grammar School. In 1807 Adamson went to live with his brother in Lisbon, Portugal. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, and received diplomas of the...
, another translator of Camoen's. A selection from Quillinan's original poems, principally lyrical, with a memoir, was published in the same year by William Johnston
William Johnston
William Johnston may refer to:*William Johnston , U.S. Representative from Ohio*William Johnston , Irish politician and Orangeman...
, the editor of Wordsworth.
Assessment
Quillinan was a sensitive, irritable, but most estimable man. "All who know him," says SoutheySouthey
Southey ward—which includes the districts of Fox Hill, New Parson Cross, Southey, Wadsley Bridge, and part of Old Parson Cross—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2. The...
, writing in 1830, "are very much attached to him." "Nowhere," says Johnston, speaking of his correspondence during his wife's hopeless illness, "has the writer of this memoir ever seen letters more distinctly marked by manly sense, combined with almost feminine tenderness." Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator...
in his Stanzas in Memory of Edward Quillinan, speaks of him as "a man unspoil'd, sweet, generous, and humane." As an original poet his claims are of the slenderest; his poems would hardly have been preserved but for the regard due to his personal character and his relationship to Wordsworth. His version of the Lusiad, nevertheless, though wanting his final corrections, has considerable merit, and he might have rendered important service to two countries if he had devoted his life to the translation and illustration of Portuguese literature.