"As to his perfon, it was graceful "and well-made; his face regular, and "of a manly beauty. As his foul was "well lodged, fo its rational and animal "faculties excelled in a high degree. He "had a quick and fruitful invention, "a deep penetration, and a large com"pass of thought, with fingular dexte

66

rity and eafinefs in making his "thoughts to be understood. He was "master of most parts of polite learning,

efpecially the claffical authors, both

"Greek and Latin; understood the "French, Italian, and Spanish Lan

66

guages, and spoke the first fluently,

" and the other two tolerably well.

"He had likewife read moft of the "Greek and Roman hiftories in their

"original languages, and moft that are "wrote in English, French, Italian,

and Spanish. He had a good taste "in philofophy; and, having a firm "impreffion of religion upon his mind, " he took great delight in divinity and "ecclefiaftical hiftory, in both which "he made great advances in the times "he retired into the country, which "were frequent. He expreffed, on all "occafions, his full perfuafion of the "truth of Revealed Religion; and

being a fincere member of the efta"blished church himfelf, he pitied, "but condemned not, those that dif "fented from it. He abhorred the prin"ciples of perfecuting men upon the "account of their opinions in religion;

"and being ftrict in his own, he took "it not upon him to cenfure those of "another perfuafion. His converfation "was pleasant, witty, and learned, with❝out the leaft tincture of affectation "or pedantry; and his inimitable man"ner of diverting and enlivening the

company, made it impoffible for any

"one to be out of humour when he "was in it. Envy and detraction seemed "to be intirely foreign to his conftitu"tion; and whatever provocations he "met with at any time, he past them "over without the leaft thought of re"fentment or revenge. As Homer had 66 a Zoilus, fo Mr. Rowe had fome"times his; for there were not wanting "malevolent people, and pretenders to B 2 66 poetry

66

poetry too, that would now-and-then "bark at his beft performances; but "he was fo much confcious of his own

66

genius, and had fo much good-nature "as to forgive them; nor could he "ever be tempted to return them an "anfwer.

"The love of learning and poetry "made him not the lefs fit for bufi"ness, and nobody applied himself "clofer to it, when it required his at"tendance. The late duke of Queenf"bury, when he was fecretary of State, "made him his fecretary for publick "affairs; and when that truly great

he was

"man came to know him well, "never fo pleafed as when Mr. Rowe 66 was in his company.

After the

"duke's

"duke's death, all avenues were stopped "to his preferment; and during the reft "of that reign he past his time with "the Mufes and his books, and fome. "times the converfation of his friends..

"When he had just got to be easy in "his fortune, and was in a fair way to "make it better, death swept him

66

away, and in him deprived the world

"of one of the best men as well as one "of the best geniufes of the age. He "died like a Chriftian and a Philofo"pher, in charity with all mankind, "and with an abfolute refignation to "the will of God. He kept up his "good-humour to the laft; and took "leave of his wife and friends, immediately before his laft agony, with B 3 "the