Mickle, William Julius, 1735-1788

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1735

Death 1788-10-28

Nationality: Britons

Language: English

Biographical notes:

William Julius Mickle (1734 or 1735-1788) was born William Meikle in Scotland. He moved to London in pursuit of a literary career in 1762 after the failure of his family's brewery. Mickle published "The Concubine" in 1767, but his most successful work was his 1776 translation of Luís de Camões's Lusiads. He was appointed purser of the HMS Brilliant in 1779 by his patron Commodore George Johnstone, and was made prize agent for Johnstone's entire squadron in the following year. He married Mary Tomkins, daughter of his patron Robert Tomkins, in 1782; the couple retired to Wheatley, Oxfordshire, where he died in 1788.

From the description of William Julius Mickle papers, 1753-1825. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702147531

William Julius Mickle (1734 or 1735-1788), was born William Meikle in Scotland and inherited his father's Edinburgh brewery in 1757. After it failed financially in 1763, Mickle secretly moved to London, changed the spelling of his last name, and embarked on a literary career. He was corrector for the Clarendon Press, Oxford, from 1765 to 1772. Mickle's first success was the neo-Spenserian poem The Concubine (1767).

From 1772 until 1779 he lived with a patron, Robert Tomkins of Forest Hill, and attempted to earn his living solely as an author. He repeatedly rewrote his verse tragedy, The Seige of Marseilles, in the hopes of seeing it performed, but the London theater managers repeatedly refused to stage it. His other ambitious project was more successful: his verse translation of Luís de Camões's epic poem Os Lusíadas (1572) was published by subscription in 1776 as The Lusiad, or, The Discovery of India . While Mickle's command of Portuguese was questionable, the work earned him almost a thousand pounds and remained the standard translation of this national epic for almost a century.

Mickle, however, was still burdened with old debts, and in 1779 his patron Commodore George Johnstone appointed him purser of the HMS Brilliant . Johnstone's squadron was stationed in Portugal, and the Portguese welcomed the translator of their national poet, electing Mickle to the Academia Reale. His naval career was a success; in 1780 he was appointed prize agent for the squadron, which improved his fortunes enough for him to marry Mary Tomkins, daughter of Robert Tomkins, in 1782. The couple moved to Wheatley, Oxfordshire, where Mickle spent much time revising his works. He died after a short illness in 1788 and was survived by his wife and his son, Charles Julius Mickle.

From the guide to the William Julius Mickle papers, 1753-1825, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)