John Lockman (1698–1771) was an English author.

Life

Born in humble circumstances, he was an autodidact scholar who learnt to speak French by frequenting Slaughter's Coffee House. He had enough acquaintance with

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, ...

that he could dedicate to him in 1734 his translation of

Charles Porée Charles Porée (4 September 1675 – 11 January 1741) was a French priest, Jesuit, educator, orator, poet and homme de lettres. All his life, Voltaire, who was his pupil, kept a profound reverence for him. Charles Porée was the son of Thomas P ...

's ''Oration''. His inoffensive character procured for him the name of the ‘Lamb.’ but when ‘Hesiod’ Cooke abused his poetry, Lockman retorted, ‘It may be so; but, thank God! my name is not at full length in the “

Dunciad ''The Dunciad'' is a landmark, mock-heroic, narrative poem by Alexander Pope published in three different versions at different times from 1728 to 1743. The poem celebrates a goddess Dulness and the progress of her chosen agents as they bring ...

.”’ His poems were chiefly

occasional verse Occasional poetry is poetry composed for a particular occasion. In the history of literature, it is often studied in connection with orality, performance, and patronage. Term As a term of literary criticism, "occasional poetry" describes the work' ...

intended to be set to music for

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

. In 1762 he tried, fruitlessly, to get them printed by subscription. He frequently went to court to present his verses to the royal family, and after he became secretary to the British Herring Fishery, he tendered gifts of pickled herrings. Both poems and herrings, he declared, were ‘most graciously accepted.’ He died in Brownlow Street,

Long Acre Long Acre is a street in the City of Westminster in central London. It runs from St Martin's Lane, at its western end, to Drury Lane in the east. The street was completed in the early 17th century and was once known for its coach-makers, and l ...

, on 2 February 1771, leaving a widow, Mary.

Works

Lockman worked on the ''

General Dictionary, Historical and Critical The ''General Dictionary, Historical and Critical'' was a biographical dictionary published from 1734 to 1741 in London in 10 volumes. It derived from the '' Dictionnaire historique et critique'' of Pierre Bayle, already translated into English in ...

'' including a life of Samuel Butler. He translated many French works, including

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

's ‘Age of Louis XIV,’ and ‘Henriade;’

Marivaux Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist. He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing nume ...

's ‘Pharamond;’ and Le Sage's ‘Bachelor of Salamanca.’ Lockman is also the translator of Voltaire's "Letters concerning the English Nation" (London, 1733). The work was first thought to have been partially written by Voltaire himself, in English, in the years following his stay in that country from 1726-28. The hypothesis, posed by Harcourt Brown, was debunked by J. Patrick Lee in his essay, "The Unexamined Premise" (2001). He established that the entire "Letters" had in fact been written in French and then translated into English (''Studies on Voltaire and the eighteenth century'', 2001:10). He also published: * ‘The Charms of Dishabille; or, New Tunbridge Wells at Islington,’ a song, (London, 1733?). * ‘David's Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. A Lyric Poem,’ London, 1736; 5th edit. 1740. * ‘Rosalinda, a Musical Drama …’ with an inquiry into the history of operas and oratorios, London, 1740. It was set to music by

John Christopher Smith John Christopher Smith (born Johann Christoph Schmidt; 1712, Ansbach3 October 1795, Bath, Somerset, Bath) was an English composer who, following in his father's footsteps, became George Frideric Handel's secretary and amanuensis. Life John Chri ...

, and performed at

Hickford's Great Room Hickford's Long Room was a public concert room in London, which ran from April 1713 to about 1779. It was paid for on a subscription basis to those who could afford to patronize the arts, such as the nobility. The 1922 Groves noted that "most ...

in Brewer Street. * ‘To the long-conceal'd first Promoter of the Cambrick and Tea-Bills . T. Janssen an Epistle n verse’ London, 1746. * ‘A Discourse on Operas,’ before Francesco Vanneschi's ''‘Fetoute. Drama,’'' &c., London, 1747. * ‘The Shetland Herring and Peruvian Gold-Mine: a Fable,’ in verse, London, 1751; 2nd edit. 1751. * ‘A proper Answer to a Libel written by L. D. N lme… against J. Lockman’ non. London, 1753. An attempt at wit against Lemuel Dole Nelme. * ‘A faithful Narrative of the late pretended Gunpowder Plot in a Letter to the … Lord Mayor of London,’ London, 1755. * ‘A History of the Cruel Sufferings of the Protestants and others by Popish Persecutions in various Countries,’ London, 1760. Lockman wrote also a ‘History of Christianity,’ and histories of England, Greece, and of Rome, by question and answer, which passed through numerous editions. He was a frequent contributor to 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 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

''.

References

* Tarantino G., ″A‘Protestant’ Approach to Colonization As Envisaged in John Lockman’s Martyrology (1760)”, in Violence and Emotions in Early Modern Europe, ed. by

Susan Broomhall Susan Broomhall is an Australian historian and academic. She is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Professor of History at The University of Western Australia, and from 2018 Co-Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the His ...

and Sarah Finn (Routledge 2015), pp. 185–201 Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockman, John 1698 births 1771 deaths English male poets