Peter Anthony Motteux facts for kids

Peter Anthony Motteux (born Pierre Antoine Motteux) was a French-born English writer. He was a playwright, a translator, and a journalist. He lived from 1663 to 1718.

Motteux was very important in the early days of English journalism. He published and edited The Gentleman's Journal. This magazine, which ran from 1692 to 1694, is often called "the first English magazine."

Peter Motteux's Life

Peter Motteux was born in Rouen, France. He was a Huguenot, which means he was a French Protestant. In 1685, he moved to England. This happened after the Edict of Nantes was cancelled. This law had protected Protestants in France.

When he first arrived, he lived with his godfather. He started working as an auctioneer, selling items to the highest bidder. By 1706, he owned a shop on Leadenhall Street in London. He sold many interesting things there. These included goods from China, Japan, and India. He also sold "silks, lace, linens, pictures, and other goods." For a while, he also worked for the Post Office.

He was survived by his wife, Priscilla. He also had two sons and a daughter.

Motteux's Translations

Peter Motteux is well-known for his translation work. He helped finish a famous translation of Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel. Sir Thomas Urquhart had started this work. Motteux helped update the first two books. He also translated the rest of the story. The complete translation was published in 1693 and 1694.

Some people thought Urquhart's original translation was a masterpiece. However, critics had mixed feelings about Motteux's part. Motteux tried to translate Rabelais's original words very directly. Some readers at the time found this too rude or vulgar.

Motteux also translated the famous Spanish novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. This translation came out in four volumes between 1700 and 1703. It was very popular when it first came out. However, later translators were not always happy with it. They felt it didn't quite capture the true spirit of the original book.

He translated other books too. One example is The Present State of the Empire of Morocco (1695). This was a book by a French diplomat.

Plays and Dramas by Motteux

Motteux wrote many plays and musical stories for the stage. These were performed in the 1690s and early 1700s. Here are some of them:

• The Loves of Mars and Venus (1695)
• Love's a Jest (1696)
• She Ventures and He Wins (1696)
• The Novelty, or Every Act a Play (1697)
• Beauty in Distress (1698)
• Britain's Happiness (1704)
• The Stage Coach (1704)
• The Amorous Miser, or the Younger the Wiser (1705)
• Thomyris, Queen of Scythia (1707)
• Love's Triumph (1708)

The Novelty was a special play. It was actually a collection of five short plays. These plays were in different styles. They included comedy, tragedy, and farce.

Many plays during the English Restoration period were adaptations. This means they were based on older works. Motteux's plays were no different. For example, his musical play The Island Princess (1699) was based on an older play. It had music by famous composers like Daniel Purcell.

His last works were translations of opera stories from Italian.

Motteux's Journalism

Peter Motteux was the editor of The Gentleman's Journal, or the Monthly Miscellany. He started it in January 1692 and it ran until November 1694. He likely wrote most of the articles himself. The magazine was supposed to come out every month.

Motteux's Journal was very ambitious. It covered many different topics. These included "News, History, Philosophy, Poetry, Musick, Translations, &c." It covered more subjects than other magazines of its time. This makes it one of the first "general interest" magazines in English.

He reviewed plays by famous writers like John Dryden and William Congreve. He also published poems by poets such as Matthew Prior. He wrote about the music of Henry Purcell and printed some of his songs. The short stories in the Journal helped shape the English novel. It even had a "Lovers' Gazette." This was like the advice columns you see in magazines today.

Even though it didn't last very long, The Gentleman's Journal was important. It set an example for later magazines. These included The Gentleman's Magazine and The London Magazine.

An interesting fact about the Journal is its motto. The first issue had the Latin phrase E pluribus unum on its cover. This phrase later became the motto of the United States of America. Motteux used it to mean "one chosen among many."

Motteux also published early ideas about equality. In October 1693, he renamed an issue "The Lady's Journal." He filled it with articles by and about women.