William Walsh (poet)
William Walsh (6 October 1662 – 15 March 1708) of Abberley Hall, Worcestershire was an English poet and critic and a Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1698 to 1708.
Life
Walsh was the second of eight children born to Joseph and Elizabeth Walsh of Abberley Hall. The last of his siblings, Octavia Walsh, was also, secretly, a poet.[1] He entered Wadham College, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner in 1678. Leaving the university without a degree, he settled in his native county.[2]
Walsh was returned MP for Worcestershire in 1698, 1701 and 1702. In 1705 he sat for Richmond, Yorkshire. On the accession of Queen Anne he was made "gentleman of the horse," a post which he held till his death,[2] noted by Narcissus Luttrell on 18 March 1708.[3]
Works
Walsh wrote a Dialogue concerning Women, being a Defence of the Sex (1691), addressed to "Eugenia"; and Letters and Poems, Amorous and Gallant (preface dated 1692, printed in Jonson's Miscellany, 1716, and separately, 1736); love lyrics designed, says the author, to impart to the world "the faithful image of an amorous heart."[2][1]
It is not as a poet, however, but as the friend and correspondent of Alexander Pope that Walsh is remembered. Pope's Pastorals were submitted for his criticism by Wycherley in 1705, and Walsh then entered on a direct correspondence with the young poet. The letters are printed in Pope's Works (ed. Elwin and Courthope, vi. 49-60). Pope, who visited him at Abberley in 1707, set great value upon his opinion. "Mr Walsh used to tell me," he says, "that there was one way left of excelling; for though we had several great poets, we never had any one great poet that was correct, and he desired me to make that my study and my aim."[2]
The excessive eulogy accorded both by Dryden and Pope to Walsh must be accounted for partly on the ground of personal friendship. The life of Virgil prefixed to Dryden's translation, and a "Preface to the Pastorals with a short defence of Virgil, against some of the reflections of Monsieur Fontenella," both ascribed at one time to Walsh, were the work of Dr Knightly Chetwood (1650–1720). In 1704 Walsh collaborated with Sir John Vanbrugh and William Congreve in Monsieur de Pourceaugnac, or Squire Trelooby, an adaptation of Molière's farce. Walsh's Poems are included in Anderson's and other collections of the British poets.[2]
References
- Sambrook.
- Chisholm 1911.
- "WALSH, William (1662-1708), of Abberley, Worcs. and 'The Mews', nr. St. Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, Mdx". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
Sources
- Ward, Adolphus William (1899). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 59. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- Sambrook, A. J. "Walsh, William (bap. 1662, d. 1708)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28620. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Attribution:
Further reading
- The Lives of the Poets, vol. iii. pp. 151 et seq., published 1753 as by Theophilus Cibber.
External links
- Works by William Walsh at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Foley Edwin Sandys |
Member of Parliament for Worcestershire 1698–1701 With: Sir John Pakington, Bt |
Succeeded by William Bromley Sir John Pakington, Bt |
| Preceded by William Bromley Sir John Pakington, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Worcestershire 1702–1705 With: Sir John Pakington, Bt |
Succeeded by William Bromley Sir John Pakington, Bt |
| Preceded by Wharton Dunch Thomas Yorke |
Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks.) 1705–1707 With: Thomas Yorke |
Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of England |
Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks.) 1707–1708 With: Thomas Yorke |
Succeeded by Harry Mordaunt Thomas Yorke |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by Henry Ireton |
Gentleman of the Horse 1702–1708 |
Succeeded by Thomas Meredith |
