Mendes, Moses

(d. 1758)

   The only son of James Mendes, stockbroker, of Mitcham, Surrey, he spent some time at St. Mary Hall, Oxford, and was created M.A. from Oxford in 1750. He became a stockbroker, made a large fortune, and acquired St. Andrews, a fine estate at Old Buckenham, Norfolk, where he died and was buried. His poem "The Squire of Dames" appeared in James Dodsley's Collection of Poems (1782). His dramatic works, from which his poems are derived: The Double Disappointment, a ballad opera, first performed at Drury Lane in 1746, and at Covent Garden in 1759; The Chaplet, a musical entertainment with music by William Boyce (1710-1779), performed at Drury Lane in 1749; Robin Hood, a musical entertainment, with music by William Boyce, performed at Drury Lane in 1750; The Shepherd's Lottery, a musical entertainment, set to music by Charles Burney (1726-1814), acted at Drury Lane in 1751. His other poetical publications: The Battiad, 1751 (a satire in two cantos). The Seasons, a Poem in Imitation of Spenser, 1751.

   Sources: A Treasury of Jewish Poetry. Nathan Ausubel, and Maryann Ausubel, ed. Crown, 1957. Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org).