John Campbell (author) - Early Works

Early Works

He produced at the age of 28 a ‘Military History of the late Prince Eugene of Savoy and the late John, Duke of Marlborough … illustrated with variety of copper-plates of battles, sieges, plans, &c., carefully engraved by Claude Du Bosc,’ issued without the compiler's name in 1736. In compiling it Campbell used the Marquis de Quincy's ‘Histoire Militaire du règne de Louis Quatorze,’ and of the works of Dumont and Rousset on Prince Eugene. In 1734 appeared, under Campbell's name, ‘A View of the Changes to which the Trade of Great Britain to Turkey and Italy will be exposed if Naples and Sicily fall into the hands of the Spaniards.’ Campbell suggested that the Two Sicilies should be handed over to the Elector of Bavaria.

His first major original work was ‘The Travels and Adventures of Edward Bevan, Esq., formerly a merchant in London,’ &c., 1739, fictitious autobiography in the style of Daniel Defoe. The description given in it by three Arab brothers (pp. 327–8) of a strayed camel, which they had never seen, may have suggested to Voltaire the sdescription of the dog and horse of the queen and king of Babylon in Zadig (1746). In 1739, too, appeared Campbell's ‘Memoirs of the Bashaw Duke de Ripperda’ (second edition 1750).

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