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MICKLE, WILLIAM JULIUS,
(originally MEIKLE,) the translator of Camoens’ Lusiad, and an original poet
of considerable merit, was one of the sons of the Rev. Alexander Meikle, who
in early life was a dissenting clergyman in London, and assistant to Dr
Watt, but finally settled as minister of the parish of Langholm, in
Dumfries-shire, where the subject of this memoir was born, in 1734. The
mother of the poet was Julia Henderson, of a good family in Mid
Lothian. The Rev. Mr Meikle, whose learning is testified by his having been
employed in the translation of Bayle’s Dictionary, was his son’s first
teacher. The young poet was afterwards, on the death of his father, sent to
reside in Edinburgh, with his aunt, the wife of Mr Myrtle, an eminent
brewer; there he attended the High School for some years. It is said,
however, that, though his passion for poetry was early displayed, he was by
no means attached to literature in general, till the age of thirteen,
when, Spenser’s Fairy Queen falling in his way, he became passionately fond
of that author, and immediately began to imitate his manner. At sixteen,
Mickle was called from school to keep the accounts of his aunt, who, having
lost her husband, carried on the business on her own account. Not long
after, he was admitted to a share in the business, and his prospects were,
at the outset of life, extremely agreeable. For reasons, however, which have
not been explained, he was unfortunate in trade; and about the year 1763,
became bankrupt. Without staying to obtain a settlement with his creditors,
he proceeded to London, tried to procure a commission in the marine service,
but, the war being just then concluded, failed in his design. Before leaving
the Scottish capital, he had devoted himself, only too much, perhaps, to
poetry. At eighteen, he had composed two tragedies and half an epic poem,
besides some minor and occasional pieces. Being now prompted to try what
poetry could do for him, he introduced himself and several of his pieces to
the notice of lord Lyttelton, who, it is understood, conceived a respectful
opinion of his abilities, and recommended him to persevere in versification,
but yielded him no more substantial proof of favour.
Mickle appears to have been
rescued from these painful circumstances, by being appointed corrector to
the Clarendon press, at Oxford. This was a situation by no means worthy of
his abilities; but, while not altogether uncongenial to his taste, it had
the advantage of leaving him a little leisure for literary pursuits, and
thus seemed to secure to him what has always been found of the greatest
consequence to friendless men of genius,--a fixed routine of duties, and a
steady means of livelihood, while a portion of the mental energies are left
salient for higher objects. Accordingly, from the year 1765, Mickle
published a succession of short poems, some of which attracted considerable
notice, and made him known respectfully to the world of letters. He also
ventured into the walk of religious controversy, and wrote pamphlets against
Voltaire and Mr Harewood, besides contributing frequently to the newspaper
called the Whitehall Evening Post.
In his early youth, he had
perused Castara’s translation of the Lusiad of Camoens, and ever since had
entertained the design of executing an English version. He now, for the
first time, found leisure and encouragement to attempt so laborious a task.
The first canto was published as a specimen in 1771, and met with so much
approbation, as to induce him to abandon his duties at Oxford, and devote
himself entirely to this more pleasing occupation. Having retired to a farm
house at Forest-hill, he applied himself unremittingly to the labour,
subsisting upon the money which he drew from time to time as subscriptions
for his work. In 1775, the version was completed; and, that no means might
be wanting for obtaining it a favourable reception, he published it, with a
dedication to a nobleman of high influence, with whom his family had been
connected. The work obtained a large measure of public approbation, which it
has ever since retained; but its reception with the patron was not what the
translator had been led to expect. A copy was bound in a most expensive
manner, and sent to that high personage; but, months passing on without any
notice even of its receipt, a friend of the poet, in high official
situation, called upon his lordship, to learn, if possible, the cause of his
silence. He found that some frivolous literary adversary of Mickle had
prejudiced the noble lord against the work, and that the presentation copy
was, till that moment, unopened. We have here, perhaps, one of the latest
instances of that prostration of genius before the shrine of rank, which was
formerly supposed to be so indispensable to literary success, but was, in
reality, even in the most favourable instances, only productive of paltry
and proximate advantages. The whole system of dedication was an absurdity.
Books were in reality written for the public, and to the public did their
authors look for that honour which forms the best motive for literary
exertion. To profess to devote their works more particularly to some single
member of the community, was an impertinence to all the rest, that ought
never to have been practised; and we might the more readily denounce the
above instance of "patrician meanness," as Mickle’s first biographer terms
it, if we could see any rationality in the author expecting so much more
from one individual, for his labours, than from another.
During the progress of his
translation, Mickle composed a tragedy, under the title of the Siege of
Marseilles, which was shown to Garrick, and rejected on account of its want
of stage effect. It was then revised and altered by Mr Home, author of the
tragedy of Douglas; and a proposal was made to the author to bring it
forward in the Edinburgh theatre. This idea was afterwards abandoned, and
the tragedy remained in abeyance till the conclusion of the Lusiad, when the
author made another effort to bring it out on the London stage. It was shown
to Mr Harris of Covent Garden, and again rejected. After this repulse,
Mickle relinquished all expectations of advantage from the theatre, though
he permitted the unfortunate play to be shown to Sheridan, from whom he
never again received it.
The Lusiad was so well
received, that a second edition was found necessary in 1779. In the
same year, Mickle published a pamphlet on the India question, which was at
one time expected to obtain for him some marks even of royal favour. In May,
the most fortunate incident in his life took place. His friend, Mr Johnston,
formerly governor of South Carolina, was then appointed to the command of
the Romney man-of-war, and Mickle, being chosen by him as his secretary,
went out to sea in his company, in order to partake of whatever good fortune
he might encounter, during a cruise against the Spaniards. In November, he
arrived at Lisbon, where he was received with very flattering marks of
attention, and stayed six months, during which time he collected many traits
of the Portuguese character and customs, with the intention, never
fulfilled, of combining them in a book. During his residence in Portugal, he
wrote his best poem, Almada Hill, which was published in 1781. The cruise
had been highly successful, and Mickle, being appointed joint agent for the
prizes, was sent home to superintend the legal proceedings connected with
their condemnation. His own share of the results was very considerable, and,
together with the fortune he acquired by his wife, whom he married in June,
1782, at once established his independence. The remainder of his life was
spent in literary leisure, at Wheatley, in Oxfordshire, where he died,
October 25, 1788, after a short illness, leaving one son. Mickle’s
poems are not voluminous, and have been eclipsed, like so much of the other
verse of the last century, by the infinitely superior productions of the
present or immediately by-past age. Many of them, however, show considerable
energy of thought; others, great sweetness of versification; and his
translation has obtained the rank of a classic. It is not to be
overlooked, moreover, that the authorship of one exquisite song in his
native dialect, Colins’ Welcome, is ascribed to him, though not upon
definite grounds.
After Mickle’s death, his
Scottish creditors revived their claims upon his executors. An
Edinburgh agent, named Henderson, having got the debts vested in his own
person, raised an action in England for their recovery. Not having furnished
himself with the necessary vouchers, he lost his action, with costs, which
the executors employed another Scottish agent to recover. This latter
individual—to whom we are indebted for some of the information in the
present memoir—being aware that the debts might have still been available in
a Scottish court, succeeded in getting the business managed
extra-judicially; so that the poet’s representatives were no more troubled
with his Scottish creditors. |
