FIELDING, HENRY, the celebrated English novellist and dramatic writer, was born at Sharpham Park, near Glastonbury, in Somersetshire, on the 22d of April 1707. His father, Edmund Fielding, Esq. who was nearly related to many noble and respectable families, served in the wars under the Duke of Marlborough, and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant-general. His mother was (laughter to Judge Gould, and aunt to Sir Henry Gould, one of the Barons of Exchequer.
Fielding received the rudiments of his education at borne, under the care of the Rev. Mr Oliver, a pet son for whom he stems to have entertained no very great regard, i as he is generally thought to have designed the character of Parson Trulliber, in Joseph Andrews, as a portrait of this clergyman. Ile was afterwards removed to Eton school, where he had an opportunity of forming a very early intimacy with the first Lord Lyttleton, Mr Fox, (af terwards Lord Holland), Mr Pitt, (afterwards Earl of Chatham), Sir Charles Hanbury 'Williams, and several other distinguished characters, who ever afterwards che rished a warm regard for him. By an assiduous applica tion to study, and the cultivation of strong natural talents, he is said to have also acquired an uncommon knowledge of the Greek and Latin classics, during his residence at that seminary of education ; and when about eighteen years of age, lie repaired to the University of Leyden, where he studied under the most celebrated civilians for about two years, at the expiration of which period, he was com pelled, in consequence of the failure of remittances, to return to London.
His father, General Fielding, having greatly increased his family by a second marriage, found it impossible to afford his son an income proportionate to the expence at tending those fashicnable pleasures in which he had too great a propensity to indulge. The vivacity of his tem per, the brilliancy of his wit, and his relish of all kinds of social enjoyment, made him a most desirable companion in the circles of literatere and fashion ; but having no dis position fat' economy, and his finances being inadequate to the draughts made upon him in this career of dissipation, he soon found himself involved irr difficulties, from which, however, he hoped to extricate himself by the exertion of his genius. Accordingly, he commenced a writer for the stage, in 1727, when he had just completed his 20th year.
His first dramatic attempt was a comedy, called Love in several Masques, which met with a very favourable reception, although it laboured under the disadvantage of succeeding the long and crowded run of the Provoked Husband. His second play, The Temple Beau, which came out in the following year, was also well received; and from this period, down to the year 1737, he continued to bring forward a number of plays and farces for the stage. But although these productions possess consider able merit, it is generally allowed that Fielding's genius did not qualify him to excel in dramatic writing. In his plays there is a good deal of humour and vivacity ; con siderable knowledge of life and manners, and abundant proof of an attentive observation of the humours, foibles,.
and affectations of mankind ; but they were evidently written with carelessness and haste : he disregarded the rules of dramatic decorum, despised the criticism of the stage, and obstinately refused to make any sacrifice to the feelings or taste of his audience. • The emoluments which he derived from his dramatic labours were by no means great ;_ and his imprudent ex travagance still continuing, lie found himself obliged to resort to some extraordinary expedient to supply his ne cessities. With this view, about the year 1735, he deter mined to bring forward a new, but certainly rather ha zardous species of public entertainment ; which is parti cularly worthy of notice, as it eventually produced an ex traordinary change in the constitution of the dramatic sys tem. He brought together a great number of actors, and made preparations for exhibiting performances, chiefly of a political tendency, at the little theatre in the Haymarket, under the whimsical title of The Great Mogul's Company of Comedians. It is probable, that, in this singular under taking, Fielding was actuated, in some degree, by resent ment against the minister, Sir Robert 1Valpole, whom he had formerlerly flattered, but who had hitherto neglected him, The project had the charm of novelty, and succeed ed, at first, so well, as to answer his most sanguine expec tations. But this novelty wore oil' with the first season ; and the design afterwards received so little encourage ment, that he was forced to abandon it. The severity of the satire, however, which was contained in the pieces represented at the Haymarket theatre, galled the minister extremely ; and he determined, not only to put down this modern Aristophanes, but, like the Athenian government upon a similar occasion, to restrain the public theatres from becoming the scourge of statesmen at any future period. Accordingly, he laid hold of a piece, written by somebody or other, called the Golden Rump, which was full of abuse, not only against the parliament, the council, and the ministry, but even against majesty itself ; and made such use of it, as occasioned the bringing into parli ament a bill for the regulation of the theatre, and to explain an act made in the 12th year of the reign of Queen Anne, for reducing the laws concerning rogues, vagabonds, com mon players of interlude, &c. By this bill, which passed into a law, after some opposition, in the year 1737, the re presentation of dramatic performances was confined to Westminster and its liberties, or where the royal family should at any time reside ; and the theatres were prohibited from bringing forward any play, or even prologue, epilo gue, or song, without its being first inspected, and obtain ing the licence of the Lord Chamberlain. This act also took from the crown the power of licensing any more theatres ; and inflicted heavy penalties on those who should afterwards bring forward any performance, in defiance of the regulations of the statute.