Giles Jacob
Encyclopedia
Giles Jacob was a British
legal writer and literary critic
who figures as one of the dunce
s in Alexander Pope
's 1728 Dunciad:
Pope's lines single Jacob out for satire primarily for his dogmatism and pettiness. While these qualities made him ripe for personal reflection, Jacob is still remembered well for his legal writing, and Jacob's guides remained in use for considerable time.
He was born in Romsey
, Hampshire
to a brewer. Jacob's early life is not well documented and such information as exists comes from passing mentions in his later works. He appears to have trained at the law in some manner and was a secretary to Sir William Blathwayt
. Working for Blathwayt, he worked in litigation and dispensation in some fashion, although apparently in manorial courts. His first book, The Compleat Court-Keeper, of 1713 has detailed instructions for how to practically administer estate matters. He combined this with a chronological summary of statute
law. Both works were financially successful.
Jacob always had an interest in contemporary poetry
and the literary life, and in 1714 he wrote a farce
called Love in a Wood, or, The Country Squire. This play was never produced. He persisted, however, and in 1717 he wrote a satire
of Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock
in the form of The Rape of the Smock. The poem was low and bawdy, and the next year he wrote a pornographic
Tractatus de hermaphroditus.
In 1719, two works appeared by Jacob, both great successes. The first was Lex constitutionis, which was a thoroughly researched compendium of statute law, common law, and criminal law, schematized according to which powers of the executive branch of the government were involved. While the work's fame and usefulness were surpassed in a few years, Jacob's book was a well regarded analysis. The same year, he produced the first volume of the Poetical Register, with a second volume in 1720. This work provided biographies
of contemporary authors as well as dead ones. These biographies have since been viewed as highly unreliable, gossipy, and hasty.
In the Poetical Register, Jacob criticized John Gay
for Three Hours after Marriage
(1717) and scenes that "trespass on Female Modesty" (Kilburn 547). Furthermore, he praised the phantom poet Joseph Gay (actually an author hired by Edmund Curll
in his long battle against Pope and Pope's friends) for The Confederates as a satire on Gay that exposed "the false Pretence to Wit" (Kilburn 547). Jacob admired Pope and was on good terms with him, and had submitted the biography of Pope to Pope himself for correction, and he was therefore surprised when Pope attacked him for these references. Jacob did not know, apparently, that Three Hours after Marriage had been written by Gay, Pope, and John Arbuthnot
, nor, apparently, that "Joseph Gay" was a creature of a polemic. In The Dunciad of 1728, Pope accused Jacob of outright stupidity and clumsiness, calling him "the Blunderbuss of Law."
In 1725, Jacob wrote The Student's Companion and called it his favorite book. It was a guide to studying law, with practical tips, reviews, and indexes. In 1729, his most famous work, nine years in the making, appeared: A New Law Dictionary. It combined a dictionary of legal practice with an abridgment of statute law, and it reached its fifth edition by the time of Jacob's death. As late as 1807, "Jacob's Law Dictionary" was still a very profitable copyright. His last work was Every Man his Own Lawyer, which outsold even the law dictionary. It was a self-help book for average citizens who might be involved in litigation.
Jacob did not marry until 1733. After his marriage, he moved to Staines, Middlesex, where he died on May 8, 1744.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
legal writer and literary critic
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
who figures as one of the dunce
Dunce
A dunce is a person incapable of learning.The word is derived from the name of the great Scholastic theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus, also referred to as Doctor Subtillis, or "Subtle Doctor", whose works on logic, theology and philosophy were accepted textbooks in the universities from...
s in 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 1728 Dunciad:
- "Jacob, the scourge of grammar, mark with awe,
- Nor less revere the blunderbuss of law."
Pope's lines single Jacob out for satire primarily for his dogmatism and pettiness. While these qualities made him ripe for personal reflection, Jacob is still remembered well for his legal writing, and Jacob's guides remained in use for considerable time.
He was born in Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
to a brewer. Jacob's early life is not well documented and such information as exists comes from passing mentions in his later works. He appears to have trained at the law in some manner and was a secretary to Sir William Blathwayt
William Blathwayt
William Blathwayt was a civil servant and politician who established the War Office as a department of the British Government and played an important part in administering the Thirteen Colonies of North America....
. Working for Blathwayt, he worked in litigation and dispensation in some fashion, although apparently in manorial courts. His first book, The Compleat Court-Keeper, of 1713 has detailed instructions for how to practically administer estate matters. He combined this with a chronological summary of statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
law. Both works were financially successful.
Jacob always had an interest in contemporary poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and the literary life, and in 1714 he wrote a farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
called Love in a Wood, or, The Country Squire. This play was never produced. He persisted, however, and in 1717 he wrote a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock
The Rape of the Lock
The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by Alexander Pope, first published anonymously in Lintot's Miscellany in May 1712 in two cantos , but then revised, expanded and reissued under Pope's name on March 2, 1714, in a much-expanded 5-canto version...
in the form of The Rape of the Smock. The poem was low and bawdy, and the next year he wrote a pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
Tractatus de hermaphroditus.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of contemporary authors as well as dead ones. These biographies have since been viewed as highly unreliable, gossipy, and hasty.
In the Poetical Register, Jacob criticized John Gay
John Gay
John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
for Three Hours after Marriage
Three Hours After Marriage
Three Hours After Marriage was a restoration comedy, written in 1717 as a collaboration between John Gay, Alexander Pope and John Arbuthnot. It premiered in 1717 and among its satirical targets were Richard Blackmore....
(1717) and scenes that "trespass on Female Modesty" (Kilburn 547). Furthermore, he praised the phantom poet Joseph Gay (actually an author hired by Edmund Curll
Edmund Curll
Edmund Curll was an English bookseller and publisher. His name has become synonymous, through the attacks on him by Alexander Pope, with unscrupulous publication and publicity. Curll rose from poverty to wealth through his publishing, and he did this by approaching book printing in a mercenary...
in his long battle against Pope and Pope's friends) for The Confederates as a satire on Gay that exposed "the false Pretence to Wit" (Kilburn 547). Jacob admired Pope and was on good terms with him, and had submitted the biography of Pope to Pope himself for correction, and he was therefore surprised when Pope attacked him for these references. Jacob did not know, apparently, that Three Hours after Marriage had been written by Gay, Pope, and John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot, often known simply as Dr. Arbuthnot, , was a physician, satirist and polymath in London...
, nor, apparently, that "Joseph Gay" was a creature of a polemic. In The Dunciad of 1728, Pope accused Jacob of outright stupidity and clumsiness, calling him "the Blunderbuss of Law."
In 1725, Jacob wrote The Student's Companion and called it his favorite book. It was a guide to studying law, with practical tips, reviews, and indexes. In 1729, his most famous work, nine years in the making, appeared: A New Law Dictionary. It combined a dictionary of legal practice with an abridgment of statute law, and it reached its fifth edition by the time of Jacob's death. As late as 1807, "Jacob's Law Dictionary" was still a very profitable copyright. His last work was Every Man his Own Lawyer, which outsold even the law dictionary. It was a self-help book for average citizens who might be involved in litigation.
Jacob did not marry until 1733. After his marriage, he moved to Staines, Middlesex, where he died on May 8, 1744.