Eustace Budgell (19 August 1686 – 4 May 1737) was an English writer and politician.

Life and career

Born in St Thomas near

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, he was the son of Gilbert Budgell, D.D. by his first wife Mary, only daughter of Bishop William Gulston of Bristol, whose sister was wife of Lancelot, and mother of

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

. He matriculated 31 March 1705 at

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

. He afterwards entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

, and was called to the bar but under the influence of Addison chose an alternative career. Addison took him to Ireland and got him appointed to a lucrative office. However, when he lampooned the Viceroy, he lost his position. Budgell assisted Addison with his magazine, ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'', writing 37 numbers signed X. In these he imitates Addison's style with some success. Between 1715 and 1727, he represented

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. The Counties of M ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

. Budgell, who was vain and vindictive, fell on evil days; he lost a fortune in the

South Sea Bubble South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and was accused of forging the will of Dr Matthew Tindal at the expense of his nephew, Nicolas Tindal. Disliked by many, Budgell was criticized by

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

in the '' Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot'' and in '' The Dunciad''. He committed suicide by throwing himself out of a boat at

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

. His

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message written by a person who intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depend on ethnic ...

famously said: "What Cato did, and Addison approved, cannot be wrong."

References

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Budgell, Eustace 1686 births 1737 deaths English male journalists English satirists Irish MPs 1715–1727 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Westmeath constituencies Suicides in the City of London Suicides by drowning in England British politicians who died by suicide 18th-century suicides