Richard Savage (poet)
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Richard Savage (c. 1697 – 1 August 1743) was an English poet. He is best known as the subject of
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 ...
's '' Life of Savage'', originally published anonymously in 1744, which is based on one of the most elaborate of Johnson's ''
Lives of the 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 t ...
''.


Life


Early life

What is known about Savage's early life mostly comes from Johnson's ''Life of Savage''. However, such information is not entirely trustworthy, since Johnson did not feel the need to thoroughly investigate Savage's past. Johnson relied almost solely on books, papers and magazines that publisher
Edward Cave Edward Cave (27 February 1691 – 10 January 1754) was an English printer, editor and publisher. He coined the term "magazine" for a periodical, founding ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' in 1731, and was the first publisher to successfully fashio ...
retrieved for him from ''
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'' ...
''s archives. In 1698
Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (c. 16595 November 1701) was an English peer, soldier and MP. Biography He was born in France, the eldest son of Charles Gerard, Baron Brandon (later 1st Earl of Macclesfield), and Jeanne, the daughter of ...
, obtained a divorce from his wife,
Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, daughter of
Sir Richard Mason Sir Richard Mason (c. 1633 – 8 March 1685) was an English Member of Parliament and Courtier. Career He held the following offices: * Clerk of the Green Cloth * Second Clerk Controller of Charles II's Household * One of the Commissioners for ...
. Shortly afterwards she married
Colonel Henry Brett Henry Brett (died 1724) was an English man about town, an army officer and Tory politician. He was involved in the theatrical world, and an associate of the playwrights Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. Life He was the eldest son of Henry Brett ...
. Lady Macclesfield had two children by
Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers General Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers PC (ca. 1654 – 18 August 1712) was an English nobleman and soldier who was a senior Army officer in the English and then British Army. The second son of Thomas Savage, 3rd Earl Rivers and his first wi ...
, the second of whom was born at Fox Court,
Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...
, on 16 January 1697, and christened two days later at
St Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
, Holborn, as Richard Smith. Six months later the child was placed with nurse Anne Portlock in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
. Nothing more is positively known of him, but Savage later claimed to be this child. He stated that he had been cared for by Lady Mason, his grandmother, who had put him in a school near
St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
, and by his godmother, one Mrs Lloyd. He said he had been pursued by the relentless hostility of his mother, by then Mrs Brett, who had prevented Lord Rivers from leaving £6,000 to him, had tried to have him abducted to the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
and then apprenticed him as a shoemaker in Holborn. Savage claimed to have discovered his true identity in 1714, through reading some letters by Mrs Lloyd. The first recorded occurrence of his name dates back to 1715, when he identified himself as "Mr. Savage, natural son to the late Earl Rivers" after being arrested for possessing a censored political pamphlet. He continued to use this name afterwards and gave further details of his parentage in Jacob's ''Poetical Register''.


Early career

Savage's first certain work was a poem satirizing Bishop Hoadly, entitled ''The Convocation, or The Battle of Pamphlets'' (1717), which he afterwards tried to suppress. He adapted from a Spanish comedy, '' Love in a Veil'', (acted 1718, printed 1719), which gained him the friendship of
Sir Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele (bap. 12 March 1672 – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine ''The Spectator (1711), The Spectator''. Early life ...
, who became his first
patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
, and of
Robert Wilks Robert Wilks (''c.'' 1665 – 27 September 1732) was a British actor and theatrical manager who was one of the leading managers of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in its heyday of the 1710s. He was, with Colley Cibber and Thomas Doggett, one of the ...
. With Steele, however, he soon quarrelled. In 1723 he played without success in the
title role The title character in a Narrative, narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The ...
of his tragedy, ''
Sir Thomas Overbury Sir Thomas Overbury (baptized 1581 – 14 September 1613) was an English poet and essayist, also known for being the victim of a murder which led to a scandalous trial. His poem ''A Wife'' (also referred to as ''The Wife''), which depicted the ...
'' (1723), which nonetheless provided him a considerable amount of notoriety. By that time, Savage's story had become well known among literary circles, and he appeared lightly disguised in
Eliza Haywood Eliza Haywood (c. 1693 – 25 February 1756), born Elizabeth Fowler, was an English writer, actress and publisher. An increase in interest and recognition of Haywood's literary works began in the 1980s. Described as "prolific even by the standar ...
's novel ''Memoirs of a Certain Island Adjacent to the Kingdom of Utopia'' (1725). Haywood, an actress and best-selling novelist whose works were often a cause of scandal, purportedly had a romantic relationship with Savage, with whom she was rumored to have had a son. Savage actively participated with Haywood in the era's propensity for
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
and praised her in several works, such as his prefatory poem for Haywood's ''Love in Excess''. The two later quarrelled, and Savage satirized her in scathing terms in ''Authors of the Town'' (1725) and in ''An Author to be Let'' (1730), in which he referred to her as a "cast-off Dame" who "Writes Scandal in Romance." Haywood was also lampooned as nothing more than a literary prostitute in
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, ...
's ''
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 ...
'', for which Savage was one of the chief sources of petty gossip about the "dunces" of
Grub Street Until the early 19th century, Grub Street was a street close to London's impoverished Moorfields district that ran from Fore Street east of St Giles-without-Cripplegate north to Chiswell Street. It was pierced along its length with narrow entr ...
portrayed in the satire. In 1724 Savage was taken up by writer Aaron Hill, thus becoming part of a circle known as the "Hillarian Group", which included several young poets such as
John Dyer John Dyer (1699 – 15 December 1757) was a painter and Welsh poet who became a priest in the Church of England.Shaw, Thomas B. ''A Complete Manual of English Literature''. Ed. William Smith. New York: Sheldon & Co., 1872. 372. Print. He was m ...
and James Thomson. Hill promoted their work in the bi-weekly magazine ''The Plain Dealer''. Savage's relationship with Hill, which developed over a period of ten years, proved instrumental in providing him the most important contacts in his career and, above all, in launching a persistent campaign to extort recognition and money from Mrs Brett. Savage's ''Miscellaneous Poems'' were published by subscription in 1726. Savage openly exposed the story of his birth in the Preface, and made repeated oblique references to his mother and his status of abandoned genius in many of the poems. Mrs Brett reportedly paid him money to suppress the ''Poems'', either to soothe him or to silence him.


1727 trial

On the night of 20 November 1727, Savage ran into two acquaintances, James Gregory and William Merchant. After staying out drinking until past midnight, they demanded a room at Robinson's coffeehouse near
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
. Merchant, not being satisfied with being told to wait for a party of guests to depart, started a brawl in which Savage, amid the chaos, apparently stabbed and mortally wounded one James Sinclair, as well as injuring a maid. The following day, all three were committed in
Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, t ...
, where they assured themselves that they would be charged with
manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
, since no premeditation was involved in Sinclair's death. However, on 6 December, when they appeared at court at the
Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...
, they were charged with
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
. Sinclair's friends and the employees of Robinson's coffeehouse, moreover, proved pitiless in their testimony for the prosecution. A Mr. Nuttal, although not having seen Savage inflict the wound, suggested Sinclair had already surrendered when Savage attacked him, while Mr Limery, another of Sinclair's friends, saw Savage physically attack but reported that Sinclair still had his sword in hand. Further statements by Nuttal and Jane Leader, an employee at Robinson's, clearly established that in his final dying words Sinclair explicitly identified Savage as the man who stabbed him. The defence, on the other hand, tried to establish Savage's innocence by stressing the ill reputation of the Coffeehouse, by claiming that Savage acted in self-defence, and by insisting on the trustfulness and considerable social standing of the accused. The judge, Francis Page, was not impressed by their attempts, and in a speech filled with sarcastic comments made it clear to the jury what verdict he was expected to see delivered. At the end of an exceptionally long trial lasting eight hours, the jury found Savage and Gregory guilty of murder, and Merchant of manslaughter. Savage's and Merchant's friends and acquaintances solicited a pardon from the Crown, as was customary following a death sentence. These did not include Savage's mother, who not only maintained her lifelong hostility towards her supposed son, but also recounted an earlier incident in which Savage had broken into her house in one of his repeated attempts at reconciliation and, according to her, had instead attempted to murder her. Poet and playwright
Charles Beckingham Charles Beckingham (25 July 1699 – 19 February 1730-31) was an English poet and dramatist. Life Beckingham was born, according to the register of Merchant Taylors' School, on 25 July 1699 (Robinson's ''Register'', ii. 32). His father was a ...
wrote a defensive pamphlet called ''The Life of Mr. Richard Savage'', and even Lord
Tyrconnel Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which has sometimes been called ''County Tyrconnell''. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, Cou ...
, Mrs Brett's own nephew, petitioned to the
king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and queen for a pardon. Savage eventually escaped the death penalty by the intercession of the Countess of Hertford, who appealed to Queen Caroline.


Subsequent fame and decline

Savage's conviction for murder and the subsequent pardon gained him a considerable amount of fame, and his story was sought over by booksellers and discussed in salons and coffeehouses, along with the behaviour of Mrs Brett. His newfound fame prompted him to publish in 1728 a confessional poem titled ''The Bastard'', which made explicit mention of Mrs Brett, his trial and the pardon by the queen, and discarded his previous image of "poor poet" in favour of a celebration of his own genius. In 1729 Savage published ''The Wanderer'', perhaps his best known work to date, a long narrative poem which showed the influence of James Thomson's '' The Seasons''. Savage himself considered the poem to be his masterpiece. The turn of Savage's fortunes was also the result of a renewed campaign against his mother, which granted him in 1729 a fixed
pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
of the considerable amount of £200 per annum. Savage apparently obtained this through repeated extortion, as Johnson recounts that he "threatened to harass her rs. Brettwith Lampoons, and to publish a copious Narrative of her Conduct, unless she consented to purchase an Exemption from Infamy, by allowing him a Pension." Thanks to this pension, Savage now bordered on opulence, along with an apartment in Arlington Street, and free supplies of wine and books, all at the expense of Lord Tyrconnel. Paradoxically, at the height of his popular fame, Savage was bound by his deal with Mrs Brett and Lord Tyrconnel to remain silent as a poet until 1735, except for an unusual arrangement with Queen Caroline to become a "Volunteer Laureate" which granted him from 1732 a further pension of £50 per annum until the queen's death. The deal with Lord Tyrconnel also seemed to oblige Savage to dismiss his previous penchant for scandal in order to become a respectable member of society as his new patron was. The relationship between the two seemed genuinely based on Tyrconnel sympathy and admiration of Savage as a poet, and it was Tyrconnel himself who promoted him to the queen as a candidate for the laureateship. Savage's literary inactivity (interrupted only by his occasional poems to the queen and to
Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...
, which he unsuccessfully tried to win as a patron) ultimately seemed to irritate Lord Tyrconnel, and by 1735 their relationship had deteriorated to the point that Lord Tyrconnel forbade him to continue living in his apartment in Arlington Street and stopped providing him his pension. Now reduced to poverty, Savage became a frequent target for a growing number of satires and attacks, but began publishing again for
Cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
's ''
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'' ...
''.


Friendship with Samuel Johnson and final years

It is not clear when Savage befriended writer
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 ...
, but it seems to have occurred in the latter years of the 1730s. How their friendship began is equally unclear, but Johnson relates having often accompanied Savage on his nighttime wanderings about London, where he witnessed the poet's poverty and frequent occurrences of public humiliation. These encounters provided much of the material for the '' Life of Savage''. Johnson was fascinated by the independence, and the spirit of protest and outrage in Savage's character. He was also aware of the instability of mind which prevented Savage taking positive control of his life. To this day, the nature of this relationship between the two men has been under scholarly debate, with potential
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
elements having been suggested to have been at play. In the meantime, Savage's financial situation worsened to the point that he had virtually no income. To save him from poverty, his longtime friend
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, ...
launched a campaign involving several of his philanthropic acquaintances, including
Ralph Allen Ralph Allen (1693 – 29 June 1764) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was notable for his reforms to the British postal system. Allen was born in Cornwall but moved to Bath to work in the post office, becoming the postmaster a ...
, James Thomson and David Mallet. The purpose of this was to send Savage to
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, where he could live with an annual allowance of £50. Pope also tried to push Savage into writing a letter to Sir William Leman, Mrs Brett's legitimate daughter's husband, begging him to intervene on his behalf with Lord Tyrconnel. Savage refused outright, a decision which was applauded by Johnson, since he considered the scheme to send Savage to Wales equivalent to
exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
. Savage did eventually leave London in July 1739, thus breaking up his friendship with Johnson, with whom he had become a close literary ally. By spending his entire allowance as soon as he received it, Savage quickly alienated all his benefactors except Pope. When in Wales, Savage lived in
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, then in England at
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, where he completed a new version of ''Sir Thomas Overbury''. Harassed by creditors and abandoned by friends, Savage reverted to a nocturnal existence. On the night of 10 January 1743, Savage was arrested for a debt of eight pounds and confined in the debtors' section of the Bristol Newgate Prison. He died there on 1 August 1743, probably from liver failure brought on by drinking.


Parentage

Savage's parentage, while the subject of some dispute, is central to his legend. Besides the story related by Johnson, a romantic account of Savage's origin and early life, for which he supplied the material, also appeared in Jacob's ''Poetical Register'' in 1719. Despite Savage's persistent claims that Mrs Brett was his mother, she never acknowledged him as such. She claimed that both the children she had by the
Earl Rivers Earl Rivers was an English title, which has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was held in succession by the families of Woodville (or Wydeville), Darcy and Savage. History The first creation was made for Richard Woodville, 1s ...
died shortly after birth, and that the boy was buried in
St Paul's, Covent Garden St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, central London. It was designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission for the 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to create "houses and buildings fit ...
, with the name of Richard Portlock. Lady Macclesfield's claims, however, are not incontrovertible, firstly because the boy buried as Richard Portlock may have been the son of nurse Ann Portlock (who Mrs Brett stated had named the baby); secondly, because of the yearly pension of £200 Savage began receiving in 1729 by Lord Tyrconnel who, being Mrs Brett's nephew, seemed to recognize him to some degree. Savage's statements about his parentage, on the other hand, were not corroborated by the depositions of the witnesses in the Macclesfield divorce case, and Mrs Brett always maintained that he was an impostor. He was wrong in the date of his birth and, moreover, the godmother of Lady Macclesfield's son was Dorothy Ousley, not Mrs Lloyd. There is nothing to show that Mrs Brett was the cruel and vindictive woman he describes her to be. Discrepancies in Savage's story made
James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...
suspicious, but the matter was thoroughly investigated for the first time by
William Moy Thomas William Moy Thomas (1828–1910) was an English journalist, literary editor and novelist. Life Born in Hackney, Middlesex, on 3 January 1828, he was younger son of Moy Thomas, a solicitor who was known as a legal writer with his brother John Henr ...
, who published the results of his research in ''
Notes and Queries ''Notes and Queries'', also styled ''Notes & Queries'', is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to " English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism".From the inne ...
''. However, Clarence Tracy, in his seminal biography ''The Artificial Bastard'' did give weight to Savage's claims. In Richard Holmes' ''Dr. Johnson and Mr. Savage'' the author, though not in complete agreement, did not discount Tracy's bias. Savage was also the subject of the play ''Richard Savage'' by
J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...
and
H. B. Marriott Watson Henry Brereton Marriott Watson (20 December 1863 – 30 October 1921), known by his pen name H. B. Marriott Watson, was an Australian-born British novelist, journalist, playwright, and short-story writer. He worked for the ''St. James Gazette'', ...
. It premiered at London's
Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began development ...
in 1891 but was critically panned and performed only once. The
Savage Club The Savage Club, founded in 1857, is a gentlemen's club in London, named after the poet, Richard Savage. Members are drawn from the fields of art, drama, law, literature, music or science. History The founding meeting of the Savage Club took ...
in London is named after him.


Notable works


Theatrical works

*'' Love in a Veil'' (1718) *''
Sir Thomas Overbury Sir Thomas Overbury (baptized 1581 – 14 September 1613) was an English poet and essayist, also known for being the victim of a murder which led to a scandalous trial. His poem ''A Wife'' (also referred to as ''The Wife''), which depicted the ...
'' (1723)


Poetry

*''The Convocation, or the Battle of the Pamphlets'' (1717) *''The Bastard'' (1728) *''The Wanderer'' (1729) *''An Author to Be Let'' (1730)


Collected editions

*''The Poetical Works of Richard Savage'' (1962) ed. by Clarence Tracy


Notes


References

* . * . * . * * . * * . * * . *


See also

*
List of abolitionist forerunners Thomas Clarkson (1760–1846), the pioneering English abolitionist, prepared a "map" of the "streams" of "forerunners and coadjutors" of the abolitionist movement, which he published in his work, ''The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accompl ...


External links

*
Richard Savage
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
*

by
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 ...
at
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...

''Richard Savage: A Romance of Real Life''
a novel based on Savage's life by
Charles Whitehead Charles Whitehead (1804 – 5 July 1862) was an English poet, novelist and dramatist. Whitehead was born in London, the eldest son of a wine merchant. His most popular works were: ''The Solitary'' (1831), a poem, ''The Autobiography of Jack Ketc ...
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Richard 1697 births 1743 deaths 18th-century English poets People imprisoned for debt English male poets 18th-century English male writers