by emotions which he does not understand, and depicting the old courtly order of Europe on the eve of its dissolution. His character was patrician in everything but its want of repose and its insensibility to duty; too charitable to be called selfish, attached from caprice to animals, from habit to dependents, he was yet an absolute egotist. It never seemed to occur to him that his magnificent possessions in the West Indies entailed upon him the least responsibility. His misanthropy was mainly affectation, and he was less independent of the opinion of the world than he liked the world to think. Need of human sympathy made him exceedingly kind to very inferior writers who had praised his works; and the few who gained admission to his presence found him a courteous and unassuming gentleman.
[The principal authority for Beckford's life is the memoir by Cyrus Redding, published anonymously in 1859. It is an intolerable piece of book-making, being chiefly made up of extracts from Beckford's own letters, and repetitions of what the author had previously written in magazines, but is indispensable in the absence of an authorised biography. See also the Gent. Mag., Annual Register, and Athenæum for 1844. The most remarkable criticisms on Beckford are Lockhart's review of his letters in vol. li. of the Quarterly, and an article by O. Tiffany in vol. xc. of the North American Review. M. Stephane Mallarmé has reprinted the original French of Vathek (Paris, 1876), and thoroughly investigated the bibliography of the subject. The catalogues of Beckford's Fonthill collections, and of his library, contribute much to the appreciation of his tastes and character. The chapter on his library in Clarke's Repertorium Bibliographicum (1819) is from his own pen. The fullest account of Fonthill is that by Britton (1823), which also contains genealogical and heraldic particulars of the Beckford family.]
BECKINGHAM, CHARLES (1699–1731), poet and dramatist, was born, according to the register of Merchant Taylors'
School, on 25 July 1699 (Robinson's Register,
ii. 32). His father was a linendraper in Fleet
Street. Beckingham was educated at Merchant Taylors' School under Dr. Smith, and is
said to have displayed 'great proficiency in his
studies,' and given 'the strongest testimonials
of extraordinary abilities.' Nothing in his
works justifies these eulogies. On 18 Feb. 1718
'Scipio Africanus,' an historical tragedy in
the regulation five acts, was produced at the
theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. This was
followed at the same house on 7 Nov. of
the next year by a second work of a similar
description, entitled 'Henry IV of France.'
The youth of the author, and the presence of
a large number of his fellow-students who had
been permitted to visit the theatre, gave some
éclat to the production of the earlier work.
This, however, is but an average specimen of
academic labour. A chief subject of praise
in contemporary writers is the manner in
which the so-called unities are observed by
its author. The plot is founded on a story
told by Livy (xxvi. 49-50) and other classical writers concerning the restoration of a
beautiful captive by Scipio Africanus to Allucius, a Spaniard. A considerable portion
of the play consists of tedious love scenes,
which are necessarily fictitious. Quin played
Scipio. 'Scipio Africanus' was acted four
times in all, two performances being, it is
stated, for the author's benefit. It was printed
in 12mo in 1718. 'Henry IV of France'
deals with the jealousy of the Prince of
Condé of his wife, who is in love with the
king, and ends with the murder of Henry by
Ravaillac at the instigation of the papal
nuncio and the priests. This play was also
given four times, Quin appearing as Henry IV.
It was printed in 8vo in 1820. In addition to
these dramas Beckingham wrote a poem on
the death of Rowe, the dramatist; a second
entitled 'Christ's Sufferings, translated from
the Latin of Rapin,' and dedicated to the
Archbishop of York; and other minor poems.
He died 19 Feb. 1730-31.
[Jacob's Poetical Register; Baker, Reed, and Jones's Biographia Dramatica; Genest's Account of the English Stage.]
BECKINGHAM, ELIAS de (d. 1305?),
judge, was placed on the commission of
justices for Middlesex in 1274, but immediately removed. At this time he seems to
have held the rank of king's serjeant. He
received the commission of justice of assize
[for a brief account of the nature and origin
of which see under Batesford, John de] in
1276. In 1282-3 he acted as keeper of the
rolls of the common pleas, and in 1285 was
appointed one of the justices of that bench.
In 1289, grave complaints of the maladministration of justice and the venality of the
judges being rife, a searching inquiry was instituted, and Beckingham was the only one
of the five justices of the common pleas who
was not dismissed for corruption. He appears to have continued in the discharge of
his duties until 1305, for he was regularly
summoned to parliament as a justice between
1288 and 1305. From the fact that he was
no longer summoned to parliament after the
latter date, it may be inferred that he died or
retired before the date when parliament next
met. He was interred in the church of Bottisham, in Cambridgeshire, where a monument
was dedicated to his memory.
