Robert Potter (1721-1804)
Encyclopedia
Rev. Robert Potter was an English clergyman of the Church of England
, translator, poet and pamphleteer.
of Wells Cathedral
, studied at Emmanuel College
, Cambridge
and graduated BA in 1742, when was ordained. He married the daughter of Rev. Colman of Hardingham
. His children included a daughter Sarah, referred to in a letter. He became curate of Reymerston
and vicar of Melton Parva
, but the combined emoluments of these were less than £50 a year. He later became curate of Scarning
, Norfolk, as well as master of Seckar's School there from 1761 to 1789, but spent much of his time writing and translating. Among his pupils was Jacob Mountain (1749-1825), the first Anglican bishop of Quebec.
In 1788, Potter was appointed by the bishop of Norwich vicar of the combined parishes of Lowestoft
and Kessingland
, Suffolk
, and thanks to the patronage of Lord Thurlow
, the lord chancellor, who had attended Seckar's School a prebendary of Norwich Cathedral
. According to one story, Thurlow and Potter had been schoolfellows at Seckar's, which seems unlikely as Seckar was ten years his junior. For whatever reason, when Potter approached Thurlow to ask for a £10 subscription to his Sophocles translation, he received the valuable cathedral stall instead.
Robert Potter died aged 83 and was buried in Lowestoft churchyard. There is a 1789 etching of a bewigged Potter in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
(1781-3) and Sophocles
(1788) that remained in print through the 19th century. Of the three, the Æschylus was best known, as there were no other translations of the author available before the 1820s. His scheme of using blank verse
for Greek hexameters and rhymed verse for the choruses was widely adopted by other translators. He also published copious poetry, some sermons, and some political pamphlets,, targeted, for instance, at the "pretended inspiration of the Methodists" (1758) and at the Poor Laws (1775).
It emerges from a letter from Sarah Burney to her sister Frances Burney on August 1, 1779 that Samuel Johnson
, Hester Thrale
and their circle had a poor opinion of Potter's poetic abilities. Potter, on the other hand, developed reservations about Johnson's literary judgement, which he expanded on a few years later. Johnson may have described Potter's poetry as "verbiage", but Horace Walpole was welcoming: "There is a Mr. Potter too, I don't know who, that has published a translation of Aeschylus, and as far as I have looked is a good poet."
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, translator, poet and pamphleteer.
Life
Potter, the third son of John Potter (fl. 1676-1723), a prebendaryPrebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
, studied at Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College may refer to one of several academic institutions:in Australia* Emmanuel College, University of Queensland, part of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and graduated BA in 1742, when was ordained. He married the daughter of Rev. Colman of Hardingham
Hardingham
Hardingham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 274 in 110 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
. His children included a daughter Sarah, referred to in a letter. He became curate of Reymerston
Cranworth
Cranworth is a village in the Breckland district of mid-Norfolk, East Anglia, England in the United Kingdom.It has an area of with an estimated population of 415 as of 2007.It has a church, St.Marys in the Benefice of Reymerston....
and vicar of Melton Parva
Little Melton
Little Melton is a village on the outskirts of Norwich in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 851 in 373 households as of the 2001 census....
, but the combined emoluments of these were less than £50 a year. He later became curate of Scarning
Scarning
Scarning is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 2,932 in 1,092 households as of the 2001 census...
, Norfolk, as well as master of Seckar's School there from 1761 to 1789, but spent much of his time writing and translating. Among his pupils was Jacob Mountain (1749-1825), the first Anglican bishop of Quebec.
In 1788, Potter was appointed by the bishop of Norwich vicar of the combined parishes of Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and Kessingland
Kessingland
Kessingland is a large village in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around south of Lowestoft. It is of interest to archaeologists as Palaeolithic and Neolithic implements have been found here; the remains of an ancient forest lie buried on the seabed.There has...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, and thanks to the patronage of Lord Thurlow
Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow
Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow PC, KC was a British lawyer and Tory politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain for fourteen years and under four Prime Ministers.- Early life:...
, the lord chancellor, who had attended Seckar's School a prebendary of Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
. According to one story, Thurlow and Potter had been schoolfellows at Seckar's, which seems unlikely as Seckar was ten years his junior. For whatever reason, when Potter approached Thurlow to ask for a £10 subscription to his Sophocles translation, he received the valuable cathedral stall instead.
Robert Potter died aged 83 and was buried in Lowestoft churchyard. There is a 1789 etching of a bewigged Potter in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Writings
Potter completed versions of the plays of Æschylus (1779), EuripidesEuripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
(1781-3) and Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
(1788) that remained in print through the 19th century. Of the three, the Æschylus was best known, as there were no other translations of the author available before the 1820s. His scheme of using blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
for Greek hexameters and rhymed verse for the choruses was widely adopted by other translators. He also published copious poetry, some sermons, and some political pamphlets,, targeted, for instance, at the "pretended inspiration of the Methodists" (1758) and at the Poor Laws (1775).
It emerges from a letter from Sarah Burney to her sister Frances Burney on August 1, 1779 that Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, Hester Thrale
Hester Thrale
Hester Lynch Thrale was a British diarist, author, and patron of the arts. Her diaries and correspondence are an important source of information about Samuel Johnson and 18th-century life.-Biography:Thrale was born at Bodvel Hall, Caernarvonshire, Wales...
and their circle had a poor opinion of Potter's poetic abilities. Potter, on the other hand, developed reservations about Johnson's literary judgement, which he expanded on a few years later. Johnson may have described Potter's poetry as "verbiage", but Horace Walpole was welcoming: "There is a Mr. Potter too, I don't know who, that has published a translation of Aeschylus, and as far as I have looked is a good poet."
External sources
- An imitation of SpenserEdmund SpenserEdmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
written by Potter is available here: http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/TextRecord.php?&action=GET&textsid=34856. Accessed May 16, 2010. - Potter's is one of the translations considered in Reuben A. Brower's "Seven Agamemnons". In: Mirror on Mirror: Translation, Imitation, Parody (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1974). ISBN 0674576454.