1731 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1731. Events January 1 – The Gentleman's Magazine: or, Trader's monthly intelligencer is launched by Edward Cave in London. July – Alexander Pope completes the original writing of his poem An Essay on Man with the first two "Epistles: Of the Nature and State of Man, with Respect to" (1) "The Universe" and (2) "Himself as an Individual". The third and fourth will ensue in 1733 and 1734. July 1 – Benjamin Franklin and fellow subscribers start the Library Company of Philadelphia. August 20 – The Hollandsche Spectator is launched by Justus van Effen in Amsterdam. October 23 – A fire at Ashburnham House in London damages the nationally owned Cotton Library, housed there at the time. The librarian, Dr Bentley, leaps from a window with the priceless Codex Alexandrinus under one arm. The original manuscripts of Asser's Life of King Alfred (9th century) and The Battle of Maldon (Old English) are destroyed; so largely is the 5th-century Cotton Genesis; and the Chronicon Æthelweardi is badly damaged; but the unique manuscript of Beowulf is damaged but saved. December 11 – Bishop Thomas Tanner's valuable collection of books, on its way from Norwich to his new home at Oxford by barge, is damaged when the barge sinks at Wallingford. unknown dates The life and revelations of the Austrian Beguine Agnes Blannbekin (died 1315) are published from her religious confessions for the first time, as Venerabilis Agnetis Blannbekin, but all copies are confiscated by the Jesuits. The Jesuit father Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare translates a 13th-century Chinese work, The Orphan of Zhao, into French as L'Orphelin de la Maison de Tchao.