described him as ‘confused and irregular in all his undertakings,’ possessing much learning but lacking method and constancy of application, so that he was ‘always employed without doing anything.’
Meen published, while an undergraduate, a poem in blank verse, called ‘Happiness, a Poetical Essay,’ London, 1766, which he afterwards wished his friends to forget. In 1780 he ‘revised, corrected, and completed, as coadjutor and editor,’ the unfinished translation of Apollonius Rhodius, by the Rev. Francis Fawkes [q. v.], and superintended its publication for the widow's benefit. To it he annexed his own independent version of the ‘Rape of Helen, or the Origin of the Trojan War,’ by Coluthus, which was afterwards included in the ‘Works of the Greek and Roman Poets’ (vol. v.), the ‘British Poets’ (vol. lxxxviii.), and in the collections of Anderson (vol. xiii.) and of Chalmers (vol. xx.). His other works were ‘A Sermon before the Association of Volunteers,’ 1782; ‘Remarks on the Cassandra of Lycophron,’ 1800, and ‘Succisivæ Operæ, or Selections from Ancient Writers, with Translations and Notes,’ 1815. Gilbert Wakefield describes him as ‘pacific, gentle, unassuming,’ and speaks of him in his ‘Correspondence with Charles James Fox,’ p. 177, as having studied the writings of Lycophron more than any man living. When Meen told Dr. Parr that he purposed undertaking an edition of Lycophron's works, Parr severely remarked that ‘many books have been well edited by men who were no scholars.’ His criticisms on Lycophron appeared in the ‘European Magazine’ from 1796 to 1813, but his complete translation was never published, and was sold with his books and manuscripts by Sotheby on 17 March 1817 and four following days. He corrected the proofs of Bishop Percy's ‘Blank Verse before Milton,’ a work which was destroyed in the fire at the printing-office of Messrs. Nichols, and was employed to collect and pass through the press a volume of poems, entitled ‘Alonzo and Cora,’ by Mrs. Elizabeth Scot of Edinburgh, which came out in 1801. J. P. Malcolm, when engaged in compiling the ‘Londinium Redivivum,’ obtained through Meen permission to consult the archives of St. Paul's Cathedral. Many letters from him to Bishop Percy are in Nichols's ‘Illustrations of Literature’ (vii. 38–68).
[Gent. Mag. 1817, pt. i. pp. 86–7; Le Neve's Fasti, ii. 443; Barker's Parriana, vol. i. p. xxxi, and ii. 636–7; Nichols's Illustr. of Literature, vii. 6–68; Malcolm's Lond. Redivivum, vol. i. Pref. pp. ii, iv, 546–8; information from the Rev. Dr. Phear, Emmanuel Coll. Cambr.]
MEESON, ALFRED (1808–1885), architect and surveyor, son of Edward Meeson and Elizabeth Collins, his wife, was born on 4 April 1808 at 67 Aldermanbury, London. He was educated in London, and spent the earlier part of his life in private practice as architect and surveyor in Wakefield, Yorkshire. In 1842 he came to London at the request of Sir Charles Barry [q. v.], to superintend the constructional and engineering details of the new houses of parliament, and continued to act as Barry's confidential assistant until the completion of the work. In 1853 he was appointed engineer in charge of the houses of parliament, with a residence in the building. On the abolition of that post he continued in private practice at 58 Pall Mall. Meeson had a great reputation as a surveyor and consulting engineer, and was employed on the international exhibitions of 1851 and 1862, and on the erection of Covent Garden Theatre, the Albert Hall, and other important public works. He was architect to the first Alexandra Palace on Muswell Hill, and on its destruction by fire was joint architect of the new building. Meeson died unmarried on 12 Jan. 1885, at 4 Harley Road, South Hampstead, London.
[Private information.]
MEETKERKE, EDWARD (1590–1657), divine, born in St. Botolph, Aldersgate, and baptised in the Dutch Church, Austin Friars, London, on 29 Sept. 1590 (Registers, ed. Moens, p. 49), was only son of Sir Adolphus van Meetkerke (1528–1591) of Brussels, ambassador to England from the States-General, by his second wife, Margaret (1549–1594), daughter of John Lichtervelde of Flanders (Berry, Genealogies, ‘Hertfordshire,’ p. 190). He was educated on the foundation at Westminster School, whence he was elected to Christ Church, Oxford, in 1606, and matriculated on 16 Jan. 1606–7 (Foster, Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714, iii. 999). He graduated B.A. in 1610, was chosen student, and became ‘a most careful tutor’ in his college. In 1613 he proceeded M.A., was incorporated M.A. at Cambridge in 1617, and received the B.D. degree at Oxford with license to preach on 19 June 1620. He became D.D. on 26 May 1625. Meetkerke was elected to the regius professorship of Hebrew at Oxford on 8 Nov. 1620 (Le Neve, Fasti, iii. 514). He resigned it in 1626 upon being presented to the well-endowed rectory of Easton, Hampshire. On 9 Jan. 1631 he was installed prebendary of Winchester (ib. iii. 36). Under the parliament he was deprived of his stall and retired to his rectory, where he died in August 1657, and was buried in
