Biography

Richard Shepherd. (Ca. 1731-Ca. 1809)

Versifier and theologican. In 1763 a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Author of Odes Descriptive and Allegorical (1761), The Nuptials; a didactick poem ( 1761), a translation from Greek of Polyænus's Stratagems of War (1793), and many other, mostly theologian works now totally forgotten.

He was of the opinion that "[the ode] is built intirely upon Fancy, and Ease and Simplicity of Diction are its
peculiar Characteristicks."¹ The Nuptials was a poem in three books on principles governing happy marriage, described by Dwight L. Durning in 1964 as "a monumental bore".²

He may have been Archdeacon of Bedford (1783-1809), (Link) but I don't have confirmation that it is indeed the same Richard Shepherd. The years of birth and death in this article is based on the assumption that the Richard Shepherd referred to by Boswell is identitcal with the later Archdeacon of Bedford.

Life with James Boswell:

Boswell had read extracts from Odes Descriptive and Allegorical in The Scots Magazine in 1762 or 1761, and almost coincidentally recalled that the author was a fellow at Oxford. So, on 25/4-1763 he requested a meeting with Mr. Shepherd, who showed up, according to Boswells wishes, at the Blue Boar Inn (where Boswell was staying) at 11 at night. They got on well, and Shepherd intended to "cultivate an acquaintance with [Boswell]", but I am not sure if they ever met or corresponded again.

Literature:

When Boswell had first read an extract of Shepherd's Odes Descriptive and Allegorical he had found that nobody were acquainted with the man. Boswell took this as a good sign. He is equally unknown today, and it is almost impossible to find information about him on the net or at antiquarians. Some extracts of his Odes are to be found in Chapin's 1955 book Personification in Eighteenth-Century English Poetry, and other extracts from both The Nuptials and Odes are in Havens, R. (1922) The Influence of Milton on English Poetry. Both volumes are available from Questia, The Internet's Largest Library. Also, the Abebooks used books search engine is always worth a try, but I haven't been able to find anything by or about Shepherd.

Be aware that Wilkie Collins might also have published a work called Odes Descriptive and Allegorical.

This article was last updated at February 05 2008 12:30:29 CET

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