, a faithful and industrious collector of old English literature,
, a faithful and industrious collector of old English literature, was born of an ancient and
respectable family at Lechdale in Gloucestershire, Sept.
20, 1689. He was educated in grammatical learning, first
under the rev. Mr. Collier, at Coxwell in Berkshire, and
afterwards under the rev. Mr. Collins, at Magdalen school,
Oxford, from which he entered a commoner of Trinity
college, Oxford, in 1705. From Oxford, where he wore
a civilian’s gown, he came to London, with a view of pursuing the civil law; but losing his friend and patron sir
John Cook, knight, who was dean of the arches and vicargeneral, and who died in 1710, he abandoned civil law
and every other profession. An anonymous funeral poem
to the memory of sir John Cook, entitled “Astrea lacrirnans,
” the production probably of Coxeter, appeared in
for printing the dramatic works of Thomas May,
esq. a contemporary with Ben Jonson, and, upon his decease, a competitor for the bays. With notes, and an
account of his life and writings.
” fl The editor,“says he,
” intending to revive the best of our plays, faithfully collated
with all the editions, that could be found in a search of
above thirty years, happened to communicate his scheme
to one who now invades it. To vindicate which, he is resolved to publish this deserving author, though out of the
order of his design. And, as a late spurious edition of
“Gorboduc
” is sufficient to shew what mistakes and confusion may be expected from the medley now advertising
in ten volumes, a correct edition will be added of that excellent tragedy; with other poetical works of the renowned
Sackville, his life, and a glossary. These are offered as a
specimen of the great care that is necessary, and will constantly be used, in the revival of such old writers as the
editor shall be encouraged to restore to the public in their
genuine purity.“Such are the terms of the proposals:
and they shew, that, though this design did not take effect,
Coxeter was the first who formed the scheme, adopted by
Dodsley, of publishing a collection of our ancient plays.
Sackville’s
” Gorboduc,“here referred to, is the edition
published by Mr. Spence in 1736. In 1747 he was appointed secretary to a society for the encouragement of an
essay towards a complete English history; under the auspices of which appeared the first volume of Carte’s
” History of England.“Mr. Warton made considerable
use of his Mss. in his
” History of Poetry“and in 1759,
an edition of Massinger’s works was published in 4 vols.
8vo. said to be
” revised, corrected, and the editions collated by Mr. Coxeter." He died of a fever April 19, 1747,
in his 59th year, and was buried in the chapel-yard of the
Royal hospital of Bridewell: leaving an orphan daughter,
who was often kindly assisted with money by Dr. Johnson,
and in her latter days by that excellent and useful institution, the Literary Fund. She died in Nov. 1807.