In early life Sewell inclined to
Toryism, and was a bitter critic of
Gilbert Burnet, whom he attacked in five pamphlets (1713–1715). His animosity extended to the bishop's son,
Thomas Burnet (1694–1753), and he brought out anonymously in 1715 a satirical
True Account of the Life and Writings of Thomas Burnet. Sewell also wrote in the Tory interest
Remarks upon a Pamphlet intituled [Observations upon the State of the Nation] (anon.) 1713 (3rd edit., 1714); and
Schism destructive of the Government: a Defense of the Bill for preventing the Growth of Schism; 2nd edit. 1714, in which he answered the arguments of
Sir Richard Steele. Afterwards Sewell attached himself to
Sir Robert Walpole, and issued
The Resigners vindicated: by a Gentleman, 1718. It went through four editions in that year, and was succeeded by
The Resigners, Part ii. and last, 1718. Sewell's best-known literary work was his ''
Tragedy of Sir Walter Raleigh, as it is acted at the Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields'', 1719; 5th edit. with a new scene (and prefatory verses from Amhurst and others), 1722; 6th edit. 1745. The author traded on the national hatred of Spain.
James Quin played the part of the hero in this piece, which was produced on 16 January 1719, and was often repeated. It was revived for one night at Drury Lane, 14 December 1789. Sewell contrived to link his name with those of many prominent writers of this period. Verses by him are in
Matthew Prior's
Collection of Poems, 1709. He twice defended
Joseph Addison's
Cato in pamphlets issued in 1713 and 1716. He wrote the preface for Addison's
Miscellanies in Verse and Prose, 1725, which include two translations by him (the
Puppet-show, and
The Barometer, pp. 29–32). A copy of verses by him was added to ''Sir Richard Steele's Recantation''. Sewell had a principal part in the fifth volume of
The Tatler, sometimes called "The spurious Tatler", which was edited by
William Harrison, and in the ninth or "spurious" volume of
The Spectator. He wrote a
Life and Character of
John Philips (2nd edit. 1715; 3rd edit. 1720), which was also issued with the works of Philips, and down to 1760 was often reprinted. To
Alexander Pope's edition of Shakespeare (1725) Sewell added a seventh volume. To
George Cheyne's
History of Himself (1743, pp. 44–49) was added Sewell's account of
Archibald Pitcairne, of whose
Dissertationes medicae Sewell issued a translation with
John Theophilus Desaguliers in 1717. He assisted in the translation of
Ovid's
Metamorphoses (1717), which was projected in competition with that of
Samuel Garth, even if Sewell addressed him as "his dear friend" in a poem in his
New Collection (anon.), 1720. He contributed to, and probably supervised, a volume of
Sacred Miscellanies (circa 1713), and he prepared in 1717 an edition of the
Poems of
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Others publications were: •
The Patriot: a Poem. Inscribed to Robert, Earl of Oxford, 1712; in his
Posthumous Works (1728) the name of the representative patriot was changed (from
Robert Harley) to Walpole. •
An Epistle from Sempronia to Cethegus, with Reply (anon.), 1713: a satire on the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. •
The Proclamation of Cupid, or a Defence of Women: a Poem from Chaucer, 1718, reprinted in
A new Collection. •
Poems on several Occasions, 1719. •
A new Collection of original Poems (anon.), 1720. Posthumous were:
Tragedy of King Richard I,
Essays and Poems, 1728; edited by his brother, Gregory Sewell. Some of his poems are in
John Nichols's
Collection, and in Bell's
Fugitive Poetry. Long letters to and from him are in the correspondence of
John Dennis (1721), and in the works of
Aaron Hill (1753). His own verses, prophetic of his death, are cited in
Thomas Campbell's
Specimens of the British Poets (1841, p. 345). ==References==