, an author of temporary celebrity in the last century for his writings,
, an author of temporary
celebrity in the last century for his writings, was born
about 1670, in Holland, where he studied physic, and
took the degree of doctor in that faculty. He afterwards
came over into England, and wrote several books, not
without ingenuity, but some of them were justly considered as likely to produce a bad effect upon society. In
1709 he published his “Virgin Unmasked, or A dialogue
between an old maiden aunt and her niece, upon love,
marriage,
” &c. a piece not very likely to increase virtue
and innocence among his female readers. In 1711 came
out his “Treatise of the hypocondriac and hysteric passions, vulgarly called the hyppo in men, and the vapours
in women.
” This work, which is divided into three dialogues, may be read with amusement at least, and contains
some shrewd remarks on the art of physic and the modern
practice of physicians and apothecaries, among whom he
probably did not enjoy much reputation. In 1714 he published a poem entitled “The grumbling hive, or knaves
turned honest;
” on which he afterwards wrote remarks,
and enlarged the whole into his celebrated publication,
which was printed at London in 1723, under the title of
“The Fable of the Bees, or private vices made public benefits with an Essay on charity and charity-schools, and
a search into the nature of society.
” In the preface to
this book he observes, that since the first publication of
his poem he had met with several, who, either wilfully or
ignorantly mistaking the design, affirmed that the scope of
it was a satire upon virtue and morality, and the whole
written for the encouragement of vice. This made him
resolve, whenever it should be reprinted, some way or
other to inform the reader of the real intent with which
that little poem was written. In this, however, he was so
unfortunate, that the book was presented by the grand
jury of Middlesex in July the same year, and severely
animadverted upon in “A Letter to the Right Honourable
Lord C.
” printed in the London Journal of July the 27tb,
1723. The author wrote a vindication of his book from
the imputations cast upon it in that Letter, and in the presentment of the grand jury, which he published in the
“London Journal
” of August the 10th, 1723. It was attacked, however, by various writers, to whom Mandeville
made no reply until 1728, when he published, in another
8vo volume, a second part of “The Fable of the Bees,
” in
order to illustrate the scheme and design of the first. In
1720, he published “Free thoughts on Religion,
” builfc
upon the system called rational; an arrogant epithet, which
generally excludes from the province of reason a belief
in the truths of revelation. In 1732 he published “An
inquiry into the origin of honour, and usefulness of
Christianity in war;
” a work which abounds in paradoxical opinions.