717 



STEUART, SIR JAMES. 



STEVENSON, ROBERT. 



713 



Quinctilian (x. i. 62) states, and as ia clear from the titles and frag- 

 ments still extant. Some of these epico-lyrical choruses were very 

 long : thus the ' Oresteia ' is said to have consisted of two books, and 

 the series of scenes representing the taking of Troy, on the so-called 

 Iliac Table, was taken from this poem. The greater part of these 

 choruses must have consisted of epic narrative; but owing to the 

 solemn character of choral poetry in general, the tone of the narrative 

 is more exalted than in an ordinary epic poem. Quinctilian says that 

 he represented his heroes with their appropriate dignity, and that he 

 might have rivalled Homer himself if he had kept within bounds, and 

 not indulged in an exuberance of words, and not given the reins too 

 much to his imagination. This censure is perfectly justified by the 

 extant fragments. 



Besides his choruses Stesichorus composed pteans and hymns which 

 were of a more purely lyrical character. He is also the first Greek 

 poet who wrote erotic poems containing celebrated love stories. The 

 bucolic poetry of Sicily was likewise indebted to him, as he raised it 

 from a rude and unpolished state to classical perfection. 



Stesichorus, whom the ancients always mention with high admira- 

 tion, is as a lyric poet totally different from what we usually understand 

 by this term, for his works did not contain any effusions of his own 

 feelings and thoughts, nor did they even, as it would appear, bear any 

 relation to the time and circumstances in which he lived ; the subjects 

 were stories belonging to past ages, and taken either from the early 

 traditions of Greece, or from the legends current among the Sicilian 

 peasantry. 



After his death the Himerseans erected a statue, which represented 

 him as a man weighed down by old age, with a book in his hand. 

 (Cic., ' c. Verr.,' ii. 35.) Catana disputed with Himera the honour of 

 possessing the tomb of Stesichorus, and magnificent monuments in 

 honour of him were erected in both places. 



The fragments of Stesichorus have been collected by J. A. Suchfort, 

 4 to, Gottingen, 1771, and by Blomfield, in the 'Mus. Crit.,' No. 6. 

 The best collection however is that by Kleine, which was published 

 in 8vo, Berlin, 1828, under the title, 'Stesichori Himerensis Frag- 

 menta collegit, Dissertationem de Vitil eb Poesi Austoris prsemisit, C. 

 Fr. Kleine.' The yare also contained in Gaisford's ' Poet. Grsec. Minor.' 



(Mutter, Hist, of the Lit. of Ant. Gr.,i., p. 197-203; Bode, Gesch. 

 der Lyrischen Dichikunst der Hdlenen, ii., p. 40-85.) 



STEUART, SIR JAMES, born at Edinburgh. October 21, 1712, 

 was the only son of Sir James Steuart, solicitor-general for Scotland, 

 under Queen Anne and George I. After being admitted at the Scotch 

 bar at the age of twenty-four, he proceeded to the Continent, where he 

 spent several years, and at Rome was introduced to the young Pre- 

 tender. He was unfortunately called to Edinburgh by the illness of 

 his wife at the period of the rebellion of 1745, where his intercourse 

 with Charles Edward was resumed, though he took no part in pro- 

 moting his designs. After the battle of Culloden he found it prudent 

 to retire to the Continent, where he remained for the next seventeen 

 years. In 1763 he was permitted to return to his native country on 

 the understanding that he would not be molested so long as he 

 remained quiet, but it was not until 1771 that he received a free 

 pardon. Having settled at Coltness, the seat of his family, in the 

 county of Lanark, he finished the most important of his works, on 

 which he had been engaged during his long exile. It was purchased 

 by Andrew Miller, the bookseller, for 500Z., and appeared in London, 

 in 1767, in two quarto volumes, entitled 'An Inquiry into the Prin- 

 ciples of Political Economy.' As the British law of copyright did not 

 extend to Ireland, an edition in three volumes octavo was published in 

 Dublin in 1770, which is said to have been circulated rather extensively 

 in the British colonies; and in 1770 a second edition of the work was 

 called for in England. He wrote also on the coinage of Bengal; on a 

 plan of uniform weights and measures ; and while on the Continent 

 published in French, a ' Vindication of Sir Isaac Newton's Chronology ; ' 

 and he was also the author of several metaphysical disquisitions, the 

 two principal ones being on Beattie's 'Essay on Truth,' and Mirabaud's 

 ' System of Nature.' He died in November 1780, aged sixty-seven. 

 His only son, General Sir James Steuart, erected a monument to his 

 memory in Westminster Abbey, and in 1805 he published a complete 

 edition of his father's works, in six volumes octavo. 



It is remarkable that Adam Smith, whose work on the same subject 

 appeared nine years after Steuart's, has not once referred to his pre- 

 decessor. He is stated to have said that he understood Sir James s 

 system better from his conversation than his volumes (' Life of Sir J. 

 Steuart ') ; and Mr. M'Culloch remarks, that his statements and reason- 

 ings are " singularly perplexing, tedious, and inconclusive," though he 

 adds that his work " is by no means destitute of enlarged and ingenious 

 views." The first book treats of population and agriculture ; the 

 second, of trade and industry ; the third, of money and coin ; the 

 fourth, of credit and debts, and incidentally of interest and banks; 

 and the fifth book relates to taxes. At the end of each book there is 

 a useful resume* of the argument. The first book has the merit of 

 placing the theory of population in nearly the same light as that in 

 which it is now generally viewed. The author's want of confidence 

 in the efficacy of the commercial principle is in striking contrast with 

 the views of Adam Smith. He proposed that granaries should be 

 established for the purpose of collecting stores of corn in cheap years 

 and selling them in dear years. But the work is now entirely super- 



seded, and is intereating chiefly in connection with the history of 

 political economy. 



STEVENS, GEORGE ALEXANDER, was born in London, and 

 brought up to a trade, which he deserted at an early age for the pro- 

 fession of a strolling player, in which he continued several years, 

 chiefly in the Lincoln company. In 1751 he had an attack of illness, 

 and published a poem entitled ' Religion, or the Libertine Repentant.' 

 In 1752 the Libertine had ceased to be repentant, and obtained an 

 engagement at one of the Dublin theatres, where he produced a 

 burlesque tragedy, called 'Distress upon Distress.' In 1753 he was 

 engaged for Covent Garden Theatre, and came to London. Stevens 

 was not a good actor, but he wrote songs which he sang at convivial 

 societies, where he and his songs were much admired. He led a life 

 of dissipation, was generally necessitous, and always extravagant. In 

 1760 he published a novel, ' The History of Tom Fool,' 3 vols. 12mo. 



The first sketch of the work by which Stevens is chiefly known, the 

 ' Lecture on Heads,' was intended for Shuter the actor, to be used at 

 his benefit ; but he did not avail himself of it. Stevens then enlarged 

 the plan and improved the details, and having furnished himself with 

 the necessary apparatus of heads, &c., in 1763, or thereabouts, he 

 began to perform it in the principal towns of England and Scotland 

 with great success and a large profit. He afterwards went to North 

 America, where he was not less successful than he bad been in 

 England. After a stay of about two years he returned, and then 

 proceeded to Ireland. In a few years he realised about 10,OOOZ. In 

 1766 he produced a ' Supplement ; being a New Lecture upon Heads.' 

 It was only performed six nights. In 1770 he brought out a burletta, 

 ' The Court of Alexander,' which was set to music by Dr. Fisher, but 

 added nothing to the fame of either author or composer. In 1772 he 

 published his ' Songs, Comic and Satirical,' 12mo, Oxford. In 1773 

 he exhibited ' A Trip to Portsmouth.' After giving his ' Lecture ' a 

 few times more, he sold it to Lee Lewis, who, with the assistance of 

 Mr. Pilon, made some improvements, and continued to perform it with 

 tolerable success for some years. Meanwhile Stevens's faculties began 

 to fail, and he sank into a state of fatuity, in which he continued 

 several years, till his death, which took place September 6, 1784, at 

 Biggleswade, in Bedfordshire, or, according to the 'Biographia Dra- 

 matica,' at Baldock, in Hertfordshire. After Stevens's death was 

 published, in 1788, 'The Adventures of a Speculist; compiled from 

 the Papers of G. A. Stevens : with his Life, a Preface, and Notes, by 

 the Editor.' 



Stevens's 'Lecture on Heads' has a thin sprinkling of wit, many 

 bad puns, much caricature, and a good deal of satire more extra- 

 vagant than forcible ; but the absurdities of dress, manners, modes of 

 speaking, and other peculiarities of the day, were exhibited with so 

 much liveliness, if not truth, as to render the performance exceedingly 

 attractive. One of the best bits is perhaps the report of the trial, 

 ' Bullum versus Boatum,' ' Daniel versus Dishclout' is not so good. 

 Stevens's ' Songs, Comic and Satirical,' amounb to more than a 

 hundred. They were considered classical by the choice spirits of that 

 time, being filled with heathen deities, Venus, Cupid, Mars, Bacchus, 

 and so forth, together with personifications of the virtues and vices. 

 They are chiefly bacchanalian and amatory, several are satirical, a few 

 licentious, but not one ' comic.' Only one has retained its popularity, 

 'The Storm,' which is indeed the only one which deserves to be 

 popular. It appears in Stevens's Songs as ' The Marine Medley,' but 

 it has since been considerably altered. {Life, attached to Stevens's 

 Works; Baker, Biographia Dramatica.) 



STEVENS, RICHARD JAMES SAMUEL, a composer of numerous 

 glees, many of which display the most brilliant, traits of genius, was 

 born in London, about the year 1753, and educated in St. Paul's 

 Cathedral, under Richard Savage, almoner and master of the choristers. 

 His first appointment was as organist to the Temple Church. In 

 1795 he succeeded Mr. Jones in the office of organist of the Charter- 

 house; and in 1801, on the death of Dr. Aylward, was elected pro- 

 fessor of music to Gresham College. In 1782 he gained the prize- 

 medal from the Catch Club for a serious glee, and another in 1786 for 

 a cheerful glee. These, with many more compositions of the same 

 class, particularly his five-voiced glee, from Ossian, 'Some of my 

 heroes are low,' in which the poetry and science of music are equally 

 blended, speedily and deservedly obtained the stamp of public appro- 

 bation, which they will never lose so long as vocal harmony shall be 

 admired. Mr. Stevens published thres sets of glees and some songs, 

 and edited a useful collection of anthems, &c., in three folio volumes. 

 He died in 1837, leaving one son. 



STEVENSON, ROBERT, the celebrated engineer of the Bell Rock 

 Lighthouse, was born at Glasgow on June 8, 1772. His education 

 was conducted under the care of his mother (his father having died 

 when he was young), and when completed he was placed with Mr. 

 Thomas Smith, of Edinburgh, who had projected the mode of improv- 

 ing the illumination of lighthouses by the substitution of oil lamps 

 with parabolic mirrors for the open coal-fires. When that gentleman 

 was appointed engineer to the Northern Lighthouse Commissioners, 

 Stevenson became his assistant; and when only nineteen had the super- 

 intendence of the construction of the lighthouse on the island of Little 

 Cumbray, in the Frith of Clyde, between the southern point of the isle 

 of Bute and Kilbride on the coast of Ayr. In 1797, having a short 

 time previously succeeded Mr. Smith as engineer to the Northern 



