David Mallet

David Mallet (or Malloch) (c.1705–1765) was a Scottish poet and dramatist.

Life
He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, and went to London in 1723 to work as a private tutor. There he became friendly with Alexander Pope, James Thomson, and other literary figures, including Lyttleton, Bolingbroke, and Chesterfield.

His best-known work was written in 1723: William and Margaret, adapted from a traditional ballad. In 1740, he collaborated with Thomson on a masque, Alfred, which was the vehicle for "Rule, Britannia!". His other plays and poetry (e.g. Amyntor and Theodora), popular at the time, are largely forgotten (see Samuel Johnson's Lives of the Poets), but he was a significant enough figure to be chosen by Bolingbroke as his literary executor. Bolingbroke's writings were edited and published by Mallet in 1754.

An extract from his “The tragedy of Bowes” appears in “The Bishoprick Garland 1834” by (Sir) Cuthbert Sharp.