Robert Dodsley (1704-64), who was to become both well known and highly successful in the mid-eighteenth century as a poet, playwright, editor and bookseller, began his working life in London as a footman, hence the title,
The Muse in Livery, of this, the first collection of his poems. He started his service as a footman attending on Charles Dartiquenave, a well-known wit, epicure and member of the Kitcat Club; he then served Sir Richard Howe; and finally the Hon. Mrs Jane Lowther. The encouragement of Jane Lowther in particular, together with his experience in these aristocratic households, led him to write his first published poem, “Servitude”, a verse manual on behaviour befitting footmen, issued in pamphlet form on 20 September 1729. The poem attracted sufficient attention in the…
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Citation: Gordon, Ian. "The Muse in Livery: A Collection of Poems". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 October 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16926, accessed 24 November 2024.]
