DE FOE, DANIEL, the son of James Foe, a butcher in the parish of St. Giles, Cripplegate, was born in London in 1661. Of his youth ful years we have nothing particular to relate. His father, who was a Dissenter, sent him to a Dissenting academy at Newiugtou Green, conducted by Charles Morton, a man of and a judicious teacher, where he remained till about 1630. As the only education he received was at this time, we may conclude that he applied with considerable advantage. In 1705 he challenged one of his adversaries "to translate with me any Latin, French, or Italian author, and after that to re-translate them crossways." He himself states that he had been educated for the ministry, but we have no information as to why his destination was altered. Different reasons have been assigned for his prefixing De' to the family name of Foe : the cause of his doing so has not been ascertaiued, but it was not adopted until after he had attained manhood. De Foe first appeared as au author in 1682, when he published a pamphlet against the prevalent high-church notions, under the title of Speculum Crape Gownorum; or, a Lookiug Glass for the young Academies, new foyld, with Reflections on some of tho late high-flown Sermons ; to which is added a Sermon of the Newest Fashion.' In 1783 he issued another pamphlet on the war that was then carried on between tho Austrians and the Turks. Two years afterwards, his aversion to James II. and his government, and his zeal for the suaiutenance of Protestantism, induced him to enlist under the Duke of Monmouth, whose lash and ill-concerted conspiracy was the cause of so many executions. Our author had the good fortune to escape the fate that numbers of his companions suffered. After this he engaged in business; he calla himself a trader, and denies that he was "a hosier or an apprentice." He was probably a hose-factor and wool-dealer (in the prosecution of which latter branch of his business he is said by Wilson, in his 'Life and Times of De Foe,' to have made more than one voyage to Spain). His eircum stancea however became involved, and a commission of bankruptcy was taken out against him in 1692, but it was immediately superseded, his creditors accepting a composition, takiug his own bonds for the payment.
In January 1687-83 he was admitted a freeman of the city of London ; and in 1695 was appointed accountant to the commissioners for managing the duties on glass—a short-lived occupation, which ho lost in 1699, when the tax was suppressed. During this period he published several pamphlets, chiefly on the Occasional Conformity of Dissenters,' which brought him into controversy with John Howe. He had devised many projects fur the benefit of the country; and, when this cominissionership was at an end, he determined to try one for his own advantage. This was for the manufacture of pantiles, heretofore brought from !Tolland. The works were at Tilbury Fort, but they were not very successful as far as regarded profit, and his arrest in 1703 put a complete stop to the undertaking. De Foe's lively imagination, ardent temper, his eager interest in politics, and fondness fur literature, disqualified him for commercial matters. He discovered this, and he never again ventured into business.
In the beginning of 1701 he published the 'True-born Englishman,' a pamphlet in answer to a libel on King William, which had been written by Tntehin. The sale of thie work was quite unexampled. Do Foe says had ho enjoyed the profit of his own labour he would have gained 1000L; but it was pirated, and 80,000 copies, published at a penny or twopence, were sold in the streets. The work however pleased the king, who not only admitted the author to an audience, but bestowed on him the more substantial reward of a present of money. In May 1701 the famous Petition of the Freeholders of Kent was presented ; the House of Commons voted it to be "scandalous, insolent, and seditious," and committed the deputation who brought it up to prison. In a few days afterwards a packet was delivered to
the speaker, as ho entered the House of Commons, containing the ' Legion Memorial,' as it was called, sent by 200,000 Englishmen, declaring that the House had acted illegally in committing any one to prison for presenting any petition whatever, as the subject had a right to present any such in a peaceable way. The paper created a terrible commotion; a committee was appointed to inquire into the terrible conspiracy, and the king was prayed to stop these threatening petitions. The memorial was no doubt De Foe's, and it is most probable that it was delivered by himself. From the good-will that the king appeared to bear him, Do Foe had hopes of again obtaining some public employ ment; but these expectations were soon destroyed by the death of the king and the accession of Queen Anne. In the now reign he could expect no favours from the government; he bad always been obnoxious to the house of Stuart and its adherents. This source of profit then being dried up, without much chance of its re-opening, he betook himself diligently to his pen, to which alone ho could safely trust for his subsistence. He wrote with unwearied assiduity; but the lofts of hie patron, the king, was soon severely felt. By an ironical pamphlet, called 'The Shortest Way with the Dissenters,' he gave bitter offence to many powerful bodice in the state. The High Church party resented it as a libel, and offered a reward for the apprehension of the author. The House of Commons (February 25, 1702.3) angrily resolved that this scandalous book should bo burnt by the common hangman ; and the secretary of state issued the following proclama tion :—" Whereas Daniel be Foe, alias De F000, is charged with writing a scandalous and seditious pamphlet, entitled 'The Shortest Way with the Dissenters.' He is a middle-sized spare man, about forty years old, of a brown complexion, and dark-brown coloured hair, but wears a wig : a hooked nose, a sharp chin, gray eyes, and a large mole near his mouth; was born in London, and for many years was a hose factor in Freeman's Yard in Cornhill, and now is owner of the brick and pantile work near Tilbury Fort iu Essex. Whoever shall discover the said Daniel Do Foe to one of her Majesty's principal secretaries of state, or Any of her Majesty's justices of peace, so as he may be apprehended, shall have a reward of 50/ : to be paid upon such discovery." Ile was shortly after caught, fined, pilloried, and impri soned. " Thus," says he, " was I a second time ruined ; for by this affair I lost above 3500L" (13allantyne's Mem. of De Foe,' in Sir W. Scott's ' Prose Works,' vol. iv,) During the time that he was confined in Is'owgate, ho wrote a Hymn to the Pillory,' published pamphlets and poems, and matured a scheme for 'The Review,' a paper exclusively written by himself, which for more than nine years he continued to publish twice or three times a week. After he had been a prisoner for more than a year, Harley, who was then secretary of state, interceded with the queen for his release, who at once sent money to his wife, who was in great distress, and, after some delay, paid his fine and act him at liberty. De Foe, once more free, took a house at Bury St. Edmunds, whither he removed with his wife and children, and recommenced his literary labours. lie did not continue there very long; and he states that both Harley and Godolphin employed him in the service of the queen, commissions attended "oftentimes with difficulty and danger," and once in a "foreign country." He also continued to pour forth pamphlets in verse and prose, on "religious and political subjects ;" one of them was the True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal,' affixed to a translation of ' Drelincourt on Death,' which carried of en edition of that work which had been for a long time lumbering the pub lisher• shelves, and caused many other editions to be subsequently famed.