George Sewell (physician) facts for kids

George Sewell (died 1726) was an English doctor and writer. He was known for writing many different kinds of things, often quickly, to earn money.

George Sewell's Early Life and Education

George Sewell was born in Windsor, England. He was the oldest son of John Sewell, who managed money for the church in Windsor.

George went to a famous school called Eton College. He even wrote a poem called The Favorite, a simile that remembered his time there. After Eton, he studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge university, finishing his first degree in 1709.

He then studied medicine with a famous teacher, Hermann Boerhaave, at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Around 1725, he earned his M.D. (Medical Doctor) degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Becoming a Writer

George Sewell first tried to work as a doctor in London, but it wasn't very successful. He then moved to Hampstead, a town near London, but there were many other doctors there too.

Because he needed money, he started working as a "hack writer." This means he wrote many poems, translations (changing texts from one language to another), and political articles for booksellers. He wrote a lot, often very quickly, to make a living.

George Sewell died in Hampstead on February 8, 1726, from a lung illness called consumption. He was very poor when he died and was buried in a simple funeral on February 12.

George Sewell's Writings

In his younger days, George Sewell supported the Tory political group. He often wrote critical articles about people who disagreed with his views. For example, he wrote several articles attacking a bishop named Gilbert Burnet between 1713 and 1715. He also wrote against the bishop's son, Thomas Burnet.

Sewell also wrote political pieces like Remarks upon a Pamphlet intituled [Observations upon the State of the Nation] in 1713. He also defended a law called the "Bill for preventing the Growth of Schism" in 1714, which was about religious differences. In this writing, he argued against the ideas of Sir Richard Steele, another famous writer.

Later, Sewell changed his political views and supported Sir Robert Walpole, who was a very powerful politician. Sewell wrote articles like The Resigners vindicated in 1718, which was very popular and had several editions.

Plays and Famous Connections

One of Sewell's most well-known works was his play, Tragedy of Sir Walter Raleigh, which was performed in 1719. This play was popular because it tapped into the public's dislike of Spain at the time. The famous actor James Quin played the main character.

Sewell also worked with many other important writers of his time.

• He had poems in Matthew Prior's Collection of Poems in 1709.
• He wrote articles defending Joseph Addison's famous play Cato in 1713 and 1716.
• He wrote the introduction for Addison's Miscellanies in Verse and Prose in 1725.
• He added some verses to Sir Richard Steele's Recantation.

Sewell also played a big part in the fifth volume of The Tatler and the ninth volume of The Spectator, which were popular magazines of the time.

He wrote a biography of the writer John Philips, which was reprinted many times. He also added a seventh volume to Alexander Pope's edition of Shakespeare's works in 1725.

Sewell helped translate Ovid's Metamorphoses (a collection of myths) in 1717. He also contributed to a book called Sacred Miscellanies and prepared an edition of the Poems of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey.

Other Publications

Some of his other published works include:

• The Patriot: a Poem (1712), which was dedicated to a politician named Robert Harley. Later, in his posthumous works, the dedication was changed to Robert Walpole.
• An Epistle from Sempronia to Cethegus, with Reply (1713), which was a satirical piece about the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.
• The Proclamation of Cupid, or a Defence of Women: a Poem from Chaucer (1718).
• Poems on several Occasions (1719).
• A new Collection of original Poems (1720).

After his death, his brother, Gregory Sewell, edited and published some of his works, including Tragedy of King Richard I and Essays and Poems in 1728. Some of his poems can also be found in collections by John Nichols and Bell's Fugitive Poetry.