Gilbert West (1703–1756) was a minor English poet, translator, and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in the early and middle eighteenth century.

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

included him in his ''

Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets ''Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets'' (1779–81), alternatively known by the shorter title ''Lives of the Poets'', is a work by Samuel Johnson comprising short biographies and critical appraisals of 52 poets, most of whom lived during th ...

''.

Biography

The son of Richard West, he was educated at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

; his father intended a career in the Church for him. However, he was persuaded by his uncle, Lord Cobham to take a commission in the army but soon left to work under Lord Townshend, a prominent Whig. West left this position when it became clear that he had no prospect of advancement in such a career. West married Miss Catherine Bartlett with whom he lived in West Wickham (near Bromley) in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and was appointed Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital, which provided him a modest income. During this period, following dialogue with his cousin

George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton, (17 January 1709 – 22 August 1773), known between 1751 and 1756 as Sir George Lyttelton, 5th Baronet, was a British statesman. As an author himself, he was also a supporter of other writers and as a pat ...

he published the essay ''Observations on the history and evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ'' (1747) for which Oxford University awarded him an LLD. In 1749 West published his translations of the odes of

Pindar Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is ...

; his translation of Pindar remained the standard version throughout the following century. Only late in his life did West achieve a measure of financial success when he was appointed to a clerkship of the Privy Council in 1752. He died four years later.

Works

*''Stowe, the gardens of the Right Honourable Richard, Lord Viscount Cobham'' (1732) *''A canto of the

Fairy Queen In folklore and literature, the Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies, sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used name ...

. Written by Spenser'' (1739) *''The institution of the order of the garter. A dramatick poem'' (1742) *''Observations on the history and evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ'' (1747) *''The odes of

, with several other pieces translated'' (1749) *''Education: a poem in two cantos'' (1751) * "The oration of Plato" (translation of the funeral oration in

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

's ''

Menexenus Menexenus (; el, Μενέξενоς) was one of the three sons of Socrates and Xanthippe. His two brothers were Lamprocles and Sophroniscus. Menexenus is not to be confused with the character of the same name who appears in Plato's dialogues ''M ...

''). In
Two orations in Praise of Athenians Slain in Battle
' (1759). Note: Some publication dates are posthumous.

Notes

External links

Gilbert West
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Gilbert 1703 births 1756 deaths 18th-century English poets People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Clerks of the Privy Council 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers English male poets