Pierre Motteux
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Peter Anthony Motteux (born Pierre Antoine Motteux ; 25 February 1663 – 18 February 1718) was a French-born English author, playwright, and translator. Motteux was a significant figure in the evolution of English journalism in his era, as the publisher and editor of ''The Gentleman's Journal'', "the first English magazine," from 1692 to 1694.


Life

A native of
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
, he was a French
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
who came to England in 1685 after the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...
. At first he lived with his godfather, Paul Dominique, and made his living as an auctioneer; by 1706 he maintained a shop in
Leadenhall Street __NOTOC__ Leadenhall Street () is a street in the City of London. It is about and links Cornhill, London, Cornhill in the west to Aldgate in the east. It was formerly the start of the A11 road (England), A11 road from London to Norwich, but th ...
, selling imports from China, Japan, and India, and (in his own words) "silks, lace, linens, pictures, and other goods." He also held a position with the Post Office in the first decade of the 18th century. His death in a bawdy house was thought to be suspicious, and caused a good deal of legal disturbance. Five people were tried for his murder, but were acquitted. His death was ultimately ruled an accident by
erotic asphyxiation Erotic asphyxiation (variously called asphyxiophilia, hypoxyphilia or breath control play) is the intentional restriction of oxygen to the brain for the purposes of sexual arousal. With a partner (or alone), the act often involves strangulatio ...
. He was survived by his widow Priscilla, two sons and a daughter.


Translations

Motteux is perhaps best known for completing Sir
Thomas Urquhart Sir Thomas Urquhart (1611–1660) was a Scottish aristocrat, writer, and translator. He is best known for his translation of the works of French Renaissance writer François Rabelais to English. Biography Urquhart was born to Thomas Urquhar ...
's translation of Rabelais' ''
Gargantua and Pantagruel ''The Five Books of the Lives and Deeds of Gargantua and Pantagruel'' (), often shortened to ''Gargantua and Pantagruel'' or the (''Five Books''), is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais. It tells the advent ...
''. Books I and II of Urquhart's translation of Rabelais had been published in 1653; Motteux (with outside help) revised these, completed Urquart's translation of Book III, and translated Book IV and the possibly-spurious Book V. The entire work was published in 1693 and 1694 (reprinted in 1708; revised by
John Ozell John Ozell (died 15 October 1743) was an English translator and accountant who became an adversary to Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. He moved to London from the country at around the age of twenty and entered an accounting firm, where he was ...
in 1737). While Urquhart's original version of Rabelais has sometimes been acclaimed as a masterpiece in itself, critics have had reservations about Motteux's continuation. In part, Motteux suffered for frankly rendering the vulgarity of Rabelais, to a generation of readers less prepared to tolerate it than Urquhart's had been. Motteux produced an important translation of the
Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...
novel ''
Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...
''; this 4-volume 1700–03 edition (3rd edition in 1712) was credited as "translated from the original by many hands and published by Peter Motteux." Very popular in its own era, Motteux's version of the work has been condemned by later translators. John Ormsby listed numerous faults he found with Motteux's translation, and described it as "worse than worthless ... worthless as failing to represent, worse than worthless as misrepresenting" the spirit and flavour of the original. Motteux translated other works as well, one example being ''The Present State of the Empire of Morocco'' (1695) by French diplomat
François Pidou de Saint-Olon François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...
.


Dramas

Motteux wrote a series of plays and musical librettos that were produced during the 1690s and early 18th century, including: * ''The Loves of Mars and Venus'' (1695) * ''Love's a Jest'' (1696) * ''She Ventures and He Wins'' (1696) * ''The Novelty, or Every Act a Play'' (1697) * '' Beauty in Distress'' (1698) * ''Britain's Happiness'' (1704) * ''
The Stage Coach ''The Stage Coach'' is a 1704 play by George Farquhar and Peter Motteux. A farce, it is based on the 1680 French play ''Les Carrosses d'Orléans'' by Jean de La Chapelle.Richetti p.79 It was staged at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre in London a ...
'' (1704) * ''The Amorous Miser, or the Younger the Wiser'' (1705) * '' Thomyris, Queen of Scythia'' (1707) * ''Love's Triumph'' (1708) —among others. As its subtitle indicates, ''The Novelty'' was an anthology of five short plays in different genres,
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
,
tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...
,
pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...
,
masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...
, and
farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...
. Motteux worked in the English stage genre then called "opera," which were semi-operas somewhat comparable to modern musicals; works like ''The Rape of Europa by Jupiter'' (1694), ''Acis and Galatea'' (1701), and ''
Arsinoe, Queen of Cyprus ''Arsinoe, Queen of Cyprus'' by Thomas Clayton was the first Italian-style opera (in English) to be staged in England. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 16 January 1705. There were various historical women named Arsinoe, but from ...
'' (1705), '' Thomyris, Queen of Scythia'' (17078 the first two with music by John Eccles, the third with music by
Thomas Clayton Thomas Clayton (July 1777 – August 21, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. He served in the Delawa ...
and the fourth arranged by
Johann Christoph Pepusch Johann Christoph Pepusch (; 1667 1752), also known as John Christopher Pepusch () and Dr Pepusch, was a German-born composer who spent most of his working life in England. He was born in Berlin, son of a vicar, and was married to Margherita de ...
. His final works are translations and adaptations of opera libretti from the Italian. As was typical of Restoration drama, Motteux's plays often adapted earlier works; and his plays in turn were adapted by others into new forms. His semi-opera ''The Island Princess, or the Generous Portuguese'' (1699) was an adaptation of John Fletcher's play ''
The Island Princess ''The Island Princess'' is a late Jacobean tragicomedy by John Fletcher, initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. The play The authorship and the stage premier of the play are generally thought to have occurred ...
'', with music by
Daniel Purcell Daniel Purcell (c. 1664 – buried 26 November 1717) was an English Baroque composer, the younger brother or cousin of Henry Purcell. Biography Like Henry Purcell before him, Daniel Purcell joined the choir of the Chapel Royal at about the age ...
,
Richard Leveridge Richard Leveridge (or Leueridge) (19 July 1670 – 22 March 1758) was an English bass singer of the London stage and a composer of baroque music, including many popular songs. Life Richard Leveridge was born in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fiel ...
and Jeremiah Clarke. The mezzo-soprano, Mrs Lindsey sang interludes at its first performance at
Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...
in February 1699. After his death, the comic subplot of ''Acis and Galatea'' was transformed into "a comic mask" called ''Roger and Joan, or the Country Wedding'' (1739). Much later,
David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...
adapted ''The Novelty'' into a farce titled ''The Lying Varlet'', published in 1823.


Journalism

Motteux edited ''The Gentleman's Journal, or the Monthly Miscellany'' from its initial issue, dated January 1692, to its last of November 1694; evidence suggests he wrote most of the prose in each issue as well. (The plan was for monthly issues, though some were late, and some were missed.) Motteux may have been influenced by ''Le Mercure Galant'', a French periodical of the 1670s devoted to Court news and gossip—though Motteux's ''Journal'' was more ambitious. The ''Journal'' published "News, History, Philosophy, Poetry, Musick, Translations, &c." It covered a wider range of topics than other periodicals of its era like
John Dunton John Dunton (4 May 1659 – 1733) was an English bookseller and writer. In 1691 he founded The Athenian Society to publish '' The Athenian Mercury'', the first major popular periodical and first miscellaneous periodical in England. In 1693, for ...
's ''The Athenian Gazette'', giving it some claim as the first "general interest" magazine in English. Motteux reviewed plays by
John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...
(a personal friend) and
William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regard ...
among others; he published verse by the poets of the era, including
Matthew Prior Matthew Prior (21 July 1664 – 18 September 1721) was an English poet and diplomat. He is also known as a contributor to '' The Examiner''. Early life Prior was born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, where he lived with his father George, a Non ...
and
Charles Sedley Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet (March 1639 – 20 August 1701), was an English noble, dramatist and politician. He was principally remembered for his wit and profligacy.. Life He was the son of Sir John Sedley, 2nd Baronet, of Aylesford in K ...
; he covered the musical career of
Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...
and printed several of his songs. The short fictions published in the journal contributed to the formation of the novel in English. The ''Journal'' even featured a "Lovers' Gazette," foreshadowing the advice-to-the-lovelorn columns of later generations of popular journalism. Though its existence was relatively brief in historical terms, the ''Journal'' provided a precedent for later publications of the same type, notably ''
The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term ''m ...
'' and ''
The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...
''. One curiosity of the ''Journal'' is that the title page of its first issue bore the motto ''
E pluribus unum ''E pluribus unum'' ( , , ) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal of the United States, Great Seal along with ''Annuit cœptis'' (L ...
'', apparently the earliest use of what would later become the motto of the United States of America. Motteux used the phrase in the sense of "one chosen among many," rather than its common later connotation. (Classicists have attempted to trace possible sources for the motto, ranging from
Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ...
to
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
to
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...
to
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
to
St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...
.)Baldwin, p. 52. Motteux published early arguments in favor of the equality of the sexes; he re-titled the October 1693 issue of the ''Journal'' "The Lady's Journal," and devoted it to articles by and about women.


Notes


References

*Arnold, Howard Payson. ''Historical Side-Lights''. New York, Harper & Brothers, 1899. *Baldwin, Neil. ''The American Revelation.'' New York, St. Martin's Griffin, 2006. *Bayer, Gerd. "Novel Horizons: The Genre Making of Restoration Fiction." Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2016. *Cervantes, Miguel de. ''The History of Don Quixote De La Mancha''. Translated by John Ormsby. Chicago, Encyclopædia Britannica Press, 1952. *Cunningham, Robert Newton. ''Peter Anthony Motteux: A Biographical and Critical Study.'' Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1933. *Gillespie, Stuart, and David Hopkins, eds. ''The Oxford History of Literary Translation in English.'' Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005. *Jackson, Mason. ''The Pictorial Press: Its Origin and Progress.'' London, Hurst and Blackett, 1885. *MacDonald, Hugh. ''John Dryden: A Bibliography of Early Editions and of Drydeniana.'' Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1939; reprinted Kessinger, 2006. *Owen, Susan J. ''A Companion to Restoration Drama.'' London, Blackwell, 2001. *Van Laun, Henri. "Life," in: ''Motteux's Don Quixote'', edited by
John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...
; 4 Volumes, reprinted London, J. M. Dent, 1880. *


External links

* * *
Three Motteux plays online.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Motteux, Peter Anthony French–English translators English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights French emigrants Immigrants to the Kingdom of England 1663 births 1718 deaths Translators of Don Quixote 17th-century journalists 18th-century British journalists Huguenots