This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1700.

Events February 1 – Richard Bentley becomes Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. Early March - William Congreve's comedy The Way of the World is first performed at the New Theatre, Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. May 5 – Within days of John Dryden's death on May 1, his last written work, The Secular Masque, is performed as part of Vanbrugh's version of The Pilgrim.

New books Fiction Aphra Behn (died 1689) – Histories, Novels, and Translations (fiction and nonfiction) Tom Brown – Amusements Serious and Comical Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras – Mémoires de Monsieur d'Artagnan Peter Anthony Motteux, editor – The History of the Renown'd Don-Quixote de la Mancha, translated by several hands, Volume 1 (Volumes 2–4 published in 1712 in the third edition)

Drama Anonymous – Caledonia, or the Pedlar Turned Merchant Abel Boyer – Achilles; or, Iphigenia in Aulis: a tragedy William Burnaby – The Reformed Wife Susannah Centlivre – The Perjur'd Husband; or, The Adventures of Venice: A tragedy Colley Cibber – The Tragical History of King Richard III William Congreve – The Way of the World, a comedy performed in March John Dennis – Iphigenia: A tragedy, performed in December 1699 George Farquhar – The Constant Couple Charles Gildon – Measure for Measure Charles Hopkins – Friendship Improv'd; or, The Female Warriour: A tragedy, performed November 7, 1699 Francis Manning – The Generous Choice John Oldmixon – The Grove, or Love's Paradise published ("semi-opera", music by Henry Purcell) William Philips – St. Stephen's Green Mary Pix – The Beau Defeated Nicholas Rowe – The Ambitious Stepmother Thomas Southerne – The Fate of Capua: A tragedy, performed about April John Vanbrugh – The Pilgrim: A comedy, anonymous; performed in April

Poetry See 1700 in poetry Richard Blackmore – A Satyr Against Wit Thomas Brown – A Description of Mr. Dryden's Funeral, verse Samuel Cobb – Poetae Britannici Daniel Defoe – The Pacificator Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – Fama y obras póstumas del Fénix de México William King – The Transactioneer With Some of his Philosophical Fancies (satire of Philosophical Transactions) John Pomfret – Reason John Tutchin – The Foreigners, published anonymously (verse satire on William III's Dutch ministers; Daniel Defoe replied in The True-Born Englishman in 1701)) Ned Ward – The Reformer

Non-fiction Mary Astell – Some Reflections upon Marriage James Brome – Travels over England, Scotland, and Wales Jeremy Collier – A Second Defence of the Short View of the Profaneness and Immorality of the English Stage &c (See 1698 in literature) Eugenia (authorship unknown) – The Female Advocate: Or, a plea for the just liberty of the tender sex, and particularly of married women... Francis Moore – Vox Stellarum: An almanac for 1701 (first in a series of yearly "almanacs" of astrology) Sir William Temple – Letters Written by Sir W. Temple, and Other Ministers of State, Both at Home and Abroad (putatively edited by Jonathan Swift) Pavao Ritter Vitezović – Croatia Rediviva Ned Ward – A Step to the Bath: With a character of the place, published anonymously Anonymous; perhaps Daniel Defoe – Castration of Popish Ecclesiastics

Births February 2 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German philosopher (died 1766) May 25 – Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, German theologian (died 1760) September 11 – James Thomson, Scottish poet (died 1748) November 25 – Kata Bethlen, Hungarian memoirist and correspondent (died 1759)

Deaths January 7 – Raffaello Fabretti, Italian antiquary (born 1618) March 14 – Henry Killigrew, English clergyman, poet and playwright (born 1613) May 12 Joseph Athias, Spanish-born publisher of Hebrew Bible (born 1635) John Dryden, English poet (born 1631) July – Thomas Creech, English translator (born 1659; suicide) August 6 – Johann Beer, Austrian author, court official and composer (born 1655; hunting accident) August 8 – Joseph Moxon, English mathematician and lexicographer (born 1627) August 22 – Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, Mexican priest, poet, geographer, and historian (born 1645) Unknown date – Charles Hopkins, Anglo-Irish poet and dramatist (born 1664)

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