Elijah Fenton (20 May 1683 – 16 July 1730) was an English poet, biographer and translator.

Life

Born in

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire * Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire * Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bed ...

(now Stoke-on-Trent), and educated at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, for a time he acted as secretary to the Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery in Flanders, and was then Master of Sevenoaks Grammar School. In 1707, Fenton published a book of poems. He later became tutor to Sir

William Trumbull Sir William Trumbull (8 September 163914 December 1716) was an English statesman who held high office as a member of the First Whig Junto. Early life Trumbull was born at Easthampstead Park in Berkshire and baptised on 11 September 1639. He ...

's son at

Easthampstead Park Easthampstead Park is a Victorian mansion in the civil parish of Bracknell in the English county of Berkshire. It is now a conference centre. Location Since the demise of Easthampstead parish, the house has been located in the western extreme ...

in Berkshire and is now best known as the assistant of his neighbour,

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, ...

, in his translation of the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'', of which he 'Englished' the first, fourth, nineteenth, and twentieth books, catching the manner of his master so completely that it is hardly possible to distinguish between their work; while thus engaged he published (1723) a successful tragedy, ''

Mariamne Mariamne is a name frequently used in the Herodian royal house. In Greek it is spelled Μαριάμη (Mariame) by Josephus; in some editions of his work the second ''m'' is doubled (Mariamme). In later copies of those editions the spelling was ...

''. His later contributions to literature were a ''Life'' of John Milton, and as an editor of

Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, FRS (3 March 1606 – 21 October 1687) was an English poet and politician who was Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1624 and 1687, and one of the longest serving members of the English House of Commons. S ...

's ''Poems'' (1729). He died on 16 July 1730, and is buried in the churchyard of Stoke Parish Church, Stoke-on-Trent. There is a memorial to him on the wall of St Michael and St Mary Magdalene's Church, Easthampstead, with an epitaph by

. This reads:- To the memory of Elijah Fenton of Shelton in Staffordshire, who dyed at Easthampstead Anno 1730, aged forty seven years. In honour of his great integrity & Learning. William Trumbell Esq erected this monument. This modest stone what few vain marbles can May truly say, here lies an honest man A poet blest beyond the poets fate Whom heav'n left sacred from the proud and great Foe to loud praise and friend to learned ease Content with science in the vale of peace Calmly he look'd on either life & here Saw nothing to regret, or there to fear From natur's temp'rate feast rose satisfy'd Thank'd heav'n that he had liv'd and that he dy'd. ''A. POPE''

References

* *

Notes

External links

*
Fenton International Genealogy - Elijah Fenton - An English Poet
;Attribution People from Bracknell People from Shelton, Staffordshire 1683 births 1730 deaths English male poets Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Translators of Homer {{UK-poet-stub