William Arnall (died May 1736) was an English political writer.

Life

He was trained as an attorney, but took to political writing before he was twenty. He was one of the authors in Prime Minister Robert Walpole's pay who replied to the ''Craftsman'' and the various attacks of Bolingbroke and Pulteney. He wrote the ''Free Briton'' under the signature of "Francis Walsingham", and succeeded Matthew Concanen in the ''

British Journal The ''British Journal'' was an English newspaper published from 22 September 1722 until 13 January 1728. The paper was then published as the ''British Journal or The Censor'' from 20 January 1728 until 23 November 1730, and then as the ''British ...

''. The report of the committee of inquiry into Walpole's conduct indicates that in the years 1731-41 over £50,000 for his writing circle, with over £10,997 allocated to Arnall for distribution to other journalists or to meet printing costs. Arnall himself received an annual pension of about £400, making him the best paid government journalist in London.

Works

Besides his writing for Walpole, Arnall also published a number of pamphlets on political and ecclesiastical themes, including

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher (93–52 BC) was a populist Roman politician and street agitator during the time of the First Triumvirate. One of the most colourful personalities of his era, Clodius was descended from the aristocratic Claudia gens, one ...

and

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

(1727), One of his tracts, in which he disputes certain claims of the clergy in regard to tithes ''Animadversions on Bishop Sherlock's Remarks on the Tythe Bill'', is reprinted in ''The Pillars of Priestcraft and Orthodoxy Shaken'' (2nd edn, 1768). ''A letter to Dr. Codex r. Gibsonon His Modest Instructions to the Crown'' (1733), ''Opposition No Proof of Patriotism'' (1735) on

Thomas Rundle Thomas Rundle (c.1688–1743) was an English cleric suspected of unorthodox views. He became Anglican bishop of Derry not long after a high-profile controversy had prevented his becoming bishop of Gloucester in 1733. Early life He was born at Milt ...

's appointment to the see of Londonderry, and ''The Complaint of the Children of Israel'' (1736, under the name Solomon Abrabanel) are attributed to him. ''A Letter to the Revd Dr Codex dmund Gibson' (1733), ''Opposition No Proof of Patriotism'' (1735), ''The Complaint of the Children of Israel'' (1736, under the name Solomon Abrabanel), and ''Animadversions on Bishop Sherlock's Remarks on the Tythe Bill'', reprinted in ''The Pillars of Priestcraft and Orthodoxy Shaken'' (2nd edn, 1768). In the ''

London Evening Post The ''London Evening Post'' was a pro- Jacobite Tory English language daily newspaper published in London, then the capital city of the Kingdom of Great Britain, from 1727 until 1797.Cranfield, G.A. (1963). "The ''London Evening Post'', 1727–17 ...

'' for 3 June 1736, Arnall's death in May that year is reported. Arnall's work for Walpole made him a popular target for the Whig opposition ''Craftsman'' and '' Fog's Journal''. He was also satirised in verse,

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

for example attacked him in the ''

Dunciad ''The Dunciad'' is a landmark, mock-heroic, narrative poem by Alexander Pope published in three different versions at different times from 1728 to 1743. The poem celebrates a goddess Dulness and the progress of her chosen agents as they bring ...

'' (Bk. ii. 315), where his name was substituted for

Leonard Welsted Leonard Welsted (''baptised'' 3 June 1688 – August 1747) was an English poet and "dunce" in Alexander Pope's writings (both in ''The Dunciad'' and in ''Peri Bathos''). Welsted was an accomplished writer who composed in a relaxed, light heart ...

's in 1735, and in the epilogue to the ''Satires'' (Dialogue ii. 129): 'Spirit of Arnall, aid me whilst I lie!'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnall, William English political writers 18th-century English people 1736 deaths Year of birth unknown