A PETER MOTTEAUX, French gentleman, born and educated at Rohan, in Normandy. He came over into England, was a confiderable trader, and refided here many years. He is faid to have poffeffed no inconfiderable fhare of wit, and humour; and, befides a tranflation of Don Quixote, feveral Songs, Prologues and Epilogues, together with a Poem on Tea, dedicated to the Spectator, (fee Vol. VII. VOL, IV. No. 16. B Numb. Numb. 552) he is author of the following dramatic pieces. 1. Love's a Jeft, a Comedy; acted at the new Theatre, in little Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1696. In the two scenes, where love is made a jest, some paffages are taken from Italian writers. 2. The Loves of Mars and Venus; a Mafque fet to Mufic, performed at the Theatre in Lincoln'sInn-Fields, 1696; dedicated to colonel Codrington. The ftory from Ovid. 3. The Novelty, or every Act a Play; confifting of Paftoral, Comedy, Mafque, Tragedy, and Farce, after the Italian manner; acted at the Theatre in little Lincoln's-Inn Fields 1697. The model of this play is formed upon Sir William Davenant's Play-Houfe to be let: But neither of them met with much fuccefs. 4. Europe's Revels for the Peace, and his Majefty's Happy Return, a Mufical Interlude, performed at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1697. 5. Beauty in Diftrefs, a Tragedy; acted at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, 1698. There is fome poetry in this play; and in the multiplicity of its incidents, he has followed the example of the British Poets. Before this piece, there is prefixed a discourse on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of plays; written originally in French, by the learned father Caffaro, divinity professor at Paris; sent by a friend to Mr. Motteaux. 6. The Island Princefs, or the Generous Portugueze; made into an Opera, and performed at the Theatre Royal 1701. The mufic by Mr. Daniel Purcell, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Leveridge. The greatest part of the play is taken from Fletcher's Ifland Princefs. Scene the Spice Island. 7. The Four Seasons, or Love in every Age; a mufical Interlude, fet to Mufic by Mr. Jeremiah Clark; printed with the musical Entertainments of the above Opera. 8. Britain's 8. Britain's Happiness, a mufical Interlude; performed at both the Theatres, being part of the entertainment, fubfcribed for by the nobility. a profpect of Dover caftle and the fea. This Interlude was long before defigned, only as an introduction to an Opera; which if ever finished was to have been called the Loves of Europe, every act shewing the manner of the different nations in their addreffes to the fair-fex; of which he has informed us in his prefatory epistle. 9. Thomyris Queen of Scythia, an Opera; tranf lated from the Italian; performed at the Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. 10. The Temple of Love, a Paftoral Opera, from the Italian; performed at the Queen's Theatre in the Hay-market, by her majesty's fervants, 1706. Time of action, the fame with that of the representation. Scene Arcadia. 11. Love Dragoon'd, a Farce. This gentleman, who feems to have led a very comfortable life, his circumftances being eafy, was unfortunate in his death; for he loft his life in a diforderly houfe, in the parish of St. Clement Danes, not without fufpicion of having been murthered; which accident happened to him, on his birth day in the 58th year of his age, 1718. His body was interred in his own parish church, being that of St. Mary Ax, in the city of London. T Mrs. MANLEY, THE celebrated authoress of the Atalantis, was born in Hampshire, in one of those islands which formerly belonged to France, of which her father Sir Roger Manley was governor, who afterwards enjoyed the fame poft in other places in England. He was the fecond son of an ancient family; the better part of his estate was ruined in the civil war by his firm adherence to Charles I. He had not the fatisfaction of ever being taken notice of, nor was his loyalty acknowledged at the restoration. The governor was a brave gallant man, of great honour and integrity. 1. 2 1 1 He became a fcholar in the midst of the camp, having left the univerfity at the age of fixteen, to follow the fortunes of Charles I. His temper had too much of the Stoic in it to attend much to the intereft of his family: After a life spent in the civil and foreign wars, he began to love eafe, and retirement, devoting himself to his study, and the charge of his little poft, without following the court; his great virtue and modefty, debaring him from folliciting favours from fuch perfons as were then at the helm of affairs, his deferts were buried, and forgotten. In this folitude he wrote feveral tracts for his own amusement, particularly his Latin Commentaries of the Civil Wars of England. He was likewife author of the first volume of that admired work, the Turkish Spy. One Dr. Midgley, an ingenious phyfician, related to the family by marriage, had the charge of looking over his papers. Amongft them he found that that manufcript, which he referved to his proper ufe, and by his own pen, and the affiftance of fome others, continued the work till the eighth volume was finished, without having the honesty to acknowledge the author of the firft. -The governor likewife wrote the History of the Rebellion in England, Scotland and Ireland; wherein the moft material paffages, battles, fieges, policies, and ftratagems of war, are impartially related on both fides, from the year 1640, to the beheading of the duke of Monmouth 1688, in three parts, printed in octavo, in the year 1691. His daughter, our authorefs, received an education fuitable to her birth, and gave very early difcoveries of a genius, not only above her years, but much fuperior to what is ufually to be found amongst her own fex. She had the misfortune to lofe her mother, while fhe was yet an infant, a circumstance, which laid the foundation of many calamities, which afterwards befell her. The brother of Sir Roger Manley, who was of principles very oppofite to his, joined with the Parliamentarian party; and after Charles I. had fuffered, he engaged with great zeal in the caufe of thofe who were for fettling a new form of government; in which, however, they were disappointed by the addrefs of Cromwell, who found means to transfer the government into his own hands, and in place of inftituting a republic, reftored monarchy under another name, and erected a tyranny as dangerous, perhaps, in its confequences, as that which he had contributed to overthrow. During thefe heats and divifions, Mr. Manley, who adhered to the most powerful party, was fortunate enough to amafs an eftate, and purchased a title; but thefe, upon the reftoration, reverted back to the former poffeffor; fo that he was left with feveral fmall children unprovided for. The eldest of thefe orphans, Sir Roger Manley took under his protection, beftowed B.3 a very |