VANBURGH, Sir Joux, an eminent architect and dramatist of the 18th c.,was the grand son of a Protestant refugee of Ghent, who settled in England during the reign of queen Elizabeth. Vanburgh is supposed to have been horn in Chester (in which city his father was a merchant), in the year 1666, and to have been sent to France for his education. His artistic studies wet e interrupted for some time by his entering the French army, which, however, he left after attaining the rank of rapt. On returning to England he must soon have acquired reputation as an architect; for, in 1695, he was made one of the commissioners for finishing the palace of Greenwich for the purposes of an hospital. his first attempt at play-writing was 'The Relapse. It was brought out at Drury Lane with such success, and obtained such popularity, that Vanburg ranked ever after as one of the leading wits and dramatists of his day. About 1697 lie wrote his famous comedy, The Movekfd Mfr. for Lincoln's Inn theater, where it was produced with even greater success than that which had attended The Relapse. He then, in partnership with Con grew, started a theater in the Haymarket, and there brought out his play, The Confed eracy. But so ill-suited was this building for speaking in. that not even the brilliant wit and racy humor of the The Confederacy could command an audience, and Congreve abandoning the scheme, the theater had to be closed. In 1702 lie erected for the earl of Carlisle the noble palace of castle Howard, in Yorkshire: and this led to his lxing em ployed as the architect of many mansions for the noble and the wealthy in oilier parts of the country. his reputation was now such that he was commissioned to erect Blenheim house, which the parliament had voted to the duke of Marlborough; but as no particular lInd had been provided for the expenses. and as pa rliatru nt refused, when applied to.to grant any money for that purpose, the commission was more honorable than lucrative.
The queen supplied from her own private purse most of the funds; but after her death supply was of course stopped. The duke of Marlborough having also (lied, left a specific fund to lie expended in meeting the arehitect's_claints; but the duchess not only refused to pay Vanburgh his salary, but dismissed him from his offleet. and the house was completed under some other management, hut from the original designs. After a great deal of trouble, Vannurgh managed to get nearly all the money that was due to him; but ever after was the sworn foe of the duchess of Marlborough. In 1714 he was niade comptroller of royal works. Vouburgh died at Whitehall on March 20, 1726, leaving his -well-known and popular drama, The Provoked Husband, unfinished. Ills plays can hardly be said to be popular now, their licentious tone and loose morality preventing their being read to that extent to which the brilliancy of their wit, keenness of their satire, and genuine character of their humor would otherwise entitle them. They want the polish of Congreve's dramas, vet, at the same time, they are not infected with the artificiality, stiffness, and labored brilliancy which disfigures so many of Congreve's best scenes. The interest is well sustained throughout; the charaeters—such as they are—are real, natural, and racy; the situations striking. and the dialogue brilliant and unflagging. The hest edition of them is contained in Leigh Hunt's Comic Dramatists, to whieh is also prefixed an excellent life of Vanburgh. His architectural works are still among the first of their kind—massive, picturesque, varied in outline, and wonder fully skillful in composition', though a frequent carelessness in the management of details spoils some of his best effects.