William Duncombe
Encyclopedia
William Duncombe was a British
author and playwright
. He worked in the Navy Office
from 1706 until 1725. That year, he and Elizabeth Hughes won a very large lottery
sum on a joint ticket. He married Elizabeth in 1726 and "retired into literary leisure." The nature of their match is unknown, but the two did have a son together. (Elizabeth would die in 1736, leaving Duncombe a widower for 33 years.)
Duncombe's literary work was generally in translation from Latin
. He translated Horace
in 1721 and translated Racine
's Athalie as Athaliah in 1722. His sole successful play was Junius Brutus in 1734, which ran for six nights at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
. His competition was Farinelli
singing at the Little Theatre, Haymarket, and Duncombe said that the "quivering Italian eunuch" was too much for the stiff Roman statesman. All the same, six nights was a respectable run, and the play went to a second edition in the first year it was in print, 1735. The play makes frequent appeals to "liberty," in keeping with the Patriot
plays of disaffected Whigs
. Duncombe, however, had apparently intended a more traditional Whig play, along the lines of Addison's
Cato, for he was aligned squarely against the "Tory" Scribblerans.
Duncombe published in both the Whitehall Evening Post
and the London Journal. Alexander Pope
satirized the London Journal by name in The Dunciad
, and Duncombe had written a letter to it criticizing John Gay
's The Beggar's Opera
for its vitiating effects on public morals. He had, in the letter, counterposed the sermons of Thomas Herring
on Jonathan Wild
and thievery. Herring, who would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury
under the Hanoverians
, became a friend of Duncombe's.
Duncombe wrote on education in 1744, and his The Choice of Hercules was included in Robert Dodsley
's Miscellanies of 1748. Between 1757 and 1759, he and his son, John Duncombe
(who married the daughter of Joseph
and Susanna Highmore
), published The Works of Horace in English Verse. His likeness was painted by Joseph Highmore.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
author and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. He worked in the Navy Office
Navy Board
The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British Royal Navy. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.From 1546 to 1831, the Navy...
from 1706 until 1725. That year, he and Elizabeth Hughes won a very large lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
sum on a joint ticket. He married Elizabeth in 1726 and "retired into literary leisure." The nature of their match is unknown, but the two did have a son together. (Elizabeth would die in 1736, leaving Duncombe a widower for 33 years.)
Duncombe's literary work was generally in translation from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. He translated Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
in 1721 and translated Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
's Athalie as Athaliah in 1722. His sole successful play was Junius Brutus in 1734, which ran for six nights at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
. His competition was Farinelli
Farinelli
Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :...
singing at the Little Theatre, Haymarket, and Duncombe said that the "quivering Italian eunuch" was too much for the stiff Roman statesman. All the same, six nights was a respectable run, and the play went to a second edition in the first year it was in print, 1735. The play makes frequent appeals to "liberty," in keeping with the Patriot
Patriot Whigs
The Patriot Whigs and, later Patriot Party, was a group within the Whig party in Great Britain from 1725 to 1803. The group was formed in opposition to the ministry of Robert Walpole in the House of Commons in 1725, when William Pulteney and seventeen other Whigs joined with the Tory party in...
plays of disaffected Whigs
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
. Duncombe, however, had apparently intended a more traditional Whig play, along the lines of Addison's
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
Cato, for he was aligned squarely against the "Tory" Scribblerans.
Duncombe published in both the Whitehall Evening Post
Whitehall Evening Post
The Whitehall Evening Post was a London newspaper, founded in 1718.It was started in September 1718 by Daniel Defoe; and was then published on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Defoe left it in June 1720, but it continued to exist until the end of the century. It closed in 1801, with issue...
and the London Journal. 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...
satirized the London Journal by name in The Dunciad
The Dunciad
The Dunciad is a landmark literary satire by Alexander Pope published in three different versions at different times. The first version was published in 1728 anonymously. The second version, the Dunciad Variorum was published anonymously in 1729. The New Dunciad, in four books and with a...
, and Duncombe had written a letter to it criticizing 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...
's The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
for its vitiating effects on public morals. He had, in the letter, counterposed the sermons of Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 to 1757.He was educated at Wisbech Grammar School and later Jesus College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he was a contemporary of Matthew Hutton, who succeeded him in turn in each of his dioceses...
on Jonathan Wild
Jonathan Wild
Jonathan Wild was perhaps the most infamous criminal of London — and possibly Great Britain — during the 18th century, both because of his own actions and the uses novelists, playwrights, and political satirists made of them...
and thievery. Herring, who would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
under the Hanoverians
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, became a friend of Duncombe's.
Duncombe wrote on education in 1744, and his The Choice of Hercules was included in Robert Dodsley
Robert Dodsley
Robert Dodsley was an English bookseller and miscellaneous writer.-Life:He was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school....
's Miscellanies of 1748. Between 1757 and 1759, he and his son, John Duncombe
John Duncombe (writer)
John Duncombe was an English clergyman and writer, son of William Duncombe.He studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow. He married the poet Susanna Highmore...
(who married the daughter of Joseph
Joseph Highmore
Joseph Highmore was an English portrait and historical painter, illustrator and author.-Life:Highmore was born in London, the third son of Edward Highmore, a coal merchant, and nephew of Thomas Highmore, Serjeant Painter to William III. He displayed early ability but was discouraged by his family...
and Susanna Highmore
Susanna Highmore
Susanna Highmore was a British poet with a relatively small literary output. She was wife to Joseph Highmore, whom she married on 28 May 1716. Joseph Highmore was a portrait painter in high demand, and the couple lived in London and associated with Isaac Watts, William Duncombe, and Samuel...
), published The Works of Horace in English Verse. His likeness was painted by Joseph Highmore.