Richardson Pack facts for kids

Richardson Pack (1682–1728) was an English soldier and writer. He was known for his military service and his collection of poems and essays.

Life of Richardson Pack

Richardson Pack was born on November 29, 1682. His father, John Pack, was from Stoke Ash and held an important local position called the High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1697. A High Sheriff was like a main law enforcement officer in a county. His mother's family came from Tudhoe in County Durham.

When he was about 11 years old, in 1693, Richardson went to Merchant Taylors' School, London. This was a famous school in London. Later, in 1697, he started studying at St John's College, Oxford. He was a "fellow-commoner," which meant he paid more money to have special privileges. He stayed at Oxford for two years but left without finishing his degree.

His father wanted him to become a lawyer. So, in 1698, Richardson began studying law at the Middle Temple in London. After about two years of study, he became a qualified lawyer, which was called being "called to the bar." However, instead of practicing law, he decided to join the army.

Military Career

Richardson Pack's first military role was in March 1705, when he became the leader of a company of soldiers. His group fought alongside Marshal Staremberg in November 1710 at the battle of Villa Viciosa. During this battle, his bravery was noticed by John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll. The Duke was impressed and promoted Pack to the rank of major. They also became good friends.

We know more about Pack's travels from his poems. In October 1709, he was in Mombris, a place in Catalonia, Spain. He wrote some poems there to his friend John Creed. In the winter of 1712–13, he was writing letters and poems from Menorca, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. By June 1714, he was back in England, in Ipswich, and in August, he was living in Stoke Ash.

Later Years

By 1719, Pack had returned to London and was living in Jermyn Street. But by 1722, he had moved to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. He stayed there for several years. In the spring of 1724, he became very ill but got better with the help of a doctor named Richard Mead.

In early 1725, he moved to Exeter. However, he soon followed his regiment, the 11th Regiment of Foot, when it was sent to Aberdeen in Scotland. He was still a major in this regiment. Richardson Pack died in Aberdeen in September 1728.

Richardson Pack's Writings

Richardson Pack was also a writer. A publisher named Edmund Curll helped print many of his works.

In 1719, Curll printed a book for Pack called The Life of T. P. Atticus, with remarks. This book was a translation from Latin. Later, in 1735, another version appeared called The Lives of T. P. Atticus, Miltiades, and Cimon, with remarks.

Collections of Works

In 1725, Edmund Curll published a book called Miscellanies in Verse and Prose. This book was said to be written by the famous writer Joseph Addison. However, Curll added an essay by Pack about Roman elegiac poets. Elegiac poets wrote poems about sadness or loss. Pack's essay was in English, but someone else translated it into Latin.

Pack's Miscellanies also included many translations of poems from Latin poets like Tibullus and Propertius. He also wrote poems that were inspired by famous poets like Horace and Virgil. The book also had essays written as letters to his friend Captain David Campbell. A second edition of the Miscellanies came out in 1719. It had more translations, a special introduction (called a prologue) for a play by George Sewell, and a life story of the writer William Wycherley.

In 1725, Curll released another collection of Pack's works called New Collection of Miscellanies in Prose and Verse. This book started with a poem written to Major Pack by W. Bond. It also included a letter from the writer John Dennis about Wycherley. Both of Pack's Miscellanies collections were printed in Dublin in 1726. After he died, a book called The whole Works of Major R. Pack was published in London in 1729.

Other Writings

In March 1719, Curll announced a poem by Pack called Morning. In 1720, he printed a story called Religion and Philosophy, along with five other pieces. Pack also wrote prologues (introductions) and epilogues (conclusions) for plays. His prologue for Sewell's play Tragedy of Sir Walter Raleigh and his epilogue for Thomas Southerne's play The Spartan Dame were well-liked.

Other writers also wrote about Pack. Sewell included lines about Pack in his own collections of poems. Two of Pack's poems can also be found in a book by Robert Southey called Specimens of the Later English Poets.