Chapter Douce to Drummond of D by Biographical Dictionary of English Literature

Douce to Drummond

Douce, Francis (1757-1834).—Antiquary, born in London, was for some time in the British Museum. He published Illustrations of Shakespeare (1807), and a dissertation on The Dance of Death (1833).

Douglas, Gavin (1474?-1522).—Poet, 3rd son of the 5th Earl of Angus, was born about 1474, and educated at St. Andrews for the Church. Promotion came early, and he was in 1501 made Provost of St. Giles, Edinburgh, and in 1514 Abbot of Aberbrothock, and Archbishop of St. Andrews. But the times were troublous, and he had hardly received these latter preferments when he was deprived of them. He was, however, named Bishop of Dunkeld in 1514 and, after some difficulty, and undergoing imprisonment, was confirmed in the see. In 1520 he was again driven forth, and two years later died of the plague in London. His principal poems are The Palace of Honour (1501), and King Hart, both allegorical; but his great achievement was his translation of the Æneid in ten-syllabled metre, the first translation into English of a classical work. Douglas’s language is more archaic than that of some of his predecessors, his rhythm is rough and unequal, but he had fire, and a power of vivid description, and his allegories are ingenious and felicitous.

Coll. edition of works by John Small, LL.D., 4 vols., 1874.

Doyle, Sir Francis Hastings (1810-1888).—Poet, belonged to a military family which produced several distinguished officers, including his father, who bore the same name. He was born near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, and educated at Eton and Oxford Studying law he was called to the Bar in 1837, and afterwards held various high fiscal appointments, becoming in 1869 Commissioner of Customs. In 1834 he published Miscellaneous Verses, followed by Two Destinies (1844), Œdipus, King of Thebes (1849), and Return of the Guards (1866). He was elected in 1867 Professor of Poetry at Oxford Doyle’s best work is his ballads, which include The Red Thread of Honour, The Private of the Buffs, and The Loss of the Birkenhead. In his longer poems his genuine poetical feeling was not equalled by his power of expression, and much of his poetry is commonplace.

Drake, Joseph Rodman (1795-1820).—Poet, born at New York, studied medicine, died of consumption. He collaborated with F. Halleck in the Croaker Papers, and wrote “The Culprit Fay” and “The American Flag.”

Draper, John William (1811-1882).—Historian, born at St. Helen’s, Lancashire, emigrated to Virginia, and was a professor in the University of New York. He wrote History of the American Civil War (1867- 70), History of the Intellectual Development of Europe (1863), and History of the Conflict between Science and Religion (1874), besides treatises on various branches of science.

Drayton, Michael (1563-1631).—Poet, born in Warwickshire, was in early life page to a gentleman, and was possibly at Cambridge or Oxford His earliest poem, The Harmonie of the Church, was destroyed. His next was The Shepherd’s Garland (1593), afterwards reprinted as Eclogues. Three historical poems, Gaveslon (1593), Matilda (1594), and Robert, Duke of Normandie (1596) followed, and he then appears to have collaborated with Dekker, Webster, and others in dramatic work. His magnum opus, however, was Polyolbion (1613?), a topographical description of England in twelve-syllabled verse, full of antiquarian and historical details, so accurate as to make the work an authority on such matters. The rushing verse is full of vigour and gusto. Other poems of Drayton are The Wars of the Barons (1603), England’s Heroical Epistles (1598) (being imaginary letters between Royal lovers such as Henry II. and Rosamund), Poems, Lyric and Heroic (1606) (including the fine ballad of “Agincourt”), Nymphidia, his most graceful work, Muses Elizium, and Idea’s Mirrour, a collection of sonnets, Idea being the name of the lady to whom they were addressed. Though often heavy, Drayton had the true poetic gift, had passages of grandeur, and sang the praises of England with the heart of a patriot.

Drummond, Henry (1851-1897).—Theological and scientific writer, born at Stirling, and educated at Edinburgh, he studied for the ministry of the Free Church. Having a decided scientific bent he gave himself specially to the study of geology, and made a scientific tour in the Rocky Mountains with Sir A. Geikie. Some years later he undertook a geological exploration of Lake Nyassa and the neighbouring