The son of a London butcher,
Defoe was educated at a dissenting academy. He involved himself with various
mercantile activities and was for a few years (1695-9) employed in the
Glass Duty Office. He played a role in the Glorious
Revolution and was in William's army of 1688. It followed, that down
through the years Defoe was in favour; but, in 1702, he was to run afoul
of the governing authorities on account of his pamphlet, "The Shortest
Way with the Dissenters".
To hold an office in England,
in the days of Defoe, it was necessary by the Test Act of 1673 to
attend church, an Anglican church. If a dissenter wished to hold an office,
he could get around the
Test Act by occasionally attending at the
parish church. The Occasional Conformity Bill was proposed to counter
the growing practice. The bill was aimed at holders of municipal or national
office, who, after qualifying by taking the Anglican Sacrament, afterwards
attended a Nonconformist
service. There was a provision for fines which went in their entirety to
the informer. In 1704, Defoe was pilloried for the writing of his pamphlet.
The move however somewhat backfired, as, instead of throwing rotten eggs,
the crowd threw flowers. After a short stay in the stocks Defoe was sent
to Newgate.
Defoe was not apparently
imprisoned for long. In 1704, he was released. While in prison he kept
up his writing; and, upon his release, he founded The Review, an
important event in the history of journalism. "Appearing thrice weekly
down to 1713, it aimed at being an organ of commercial interests, but also
expressed opinions on all sorts of political and domestic topics ... [it
anticipated] the
Tatler and the Specator." (Chambers.)
During the latter period
of Queen Anne's reign, Defoe was to be employed in various secret mission
for the government. Though not a man of party, but of strong principles,
Defoe was to be employed in the secret missions of government. He traveled
and measured the mood of the people and reported back to Queen Anne's ministers.
He played no small role in the successful completion of the union of Scotland
and England in 1706.
With the coming of the House
of Hanover, in 1714, Defoe turned from his secret missions and the writing
of pamphlets: he became a writer of "fiction." To the average soul, Defoe
is now known for his work, Robinson Crusoe (1719-20). Other works
which yet maybe readily found and read are Moll Flanders (1722)
and Journal of the Plague Year.
