time and varies place as his convenience requires. To vary the place is not, in my opinion, any violation of Nature, if the change be made between the acts; for it is no less easy for the spectator to fuppofe himself at Athens in the fecond act than at Thebes in the firft; but to change the scene, as is done by Rowe in the middle of an act, is to add more acts to the play, fince an act is fo much of the bufinefs as is tranfacted without interruption. Rowe, by this licence, eafily extricates himself from difficulties; as in Jane Grey, when we have been terrified with all the dreadful pomp of publick execution, and are wondering how the heroine or the poet will proceed, no fooner has Jane pronounced

fome

fome prophetick rhymes, than-pafs and be gone-the fcene clofes, and Pembroke and Gardiner are turned out upon the stage.

I know not that there can be found in his plays any deep fearch into nature, any accurate difcriminations of kindred qualities, or nice difplay of paffion in its progrefs; all is general and undefined. Nor does he much intereft or affect the auditor, except in Jane Shore, who is always feen and heard with pity. Alicia is a character of empty noise, with no resemblance to real forrow or to-natural madness.

Whence, then, has Rowe his reputa tion? From the reasonablenefs and propriety of fome of his fcenes, from the ele

gance

gance of his diction, and the fuavity of his verse. He feldom moves either pity or terror, but he often elevates the fentiments; he seldom pierces the breast, but he always delights the ear, and of ten improves the understanding.

His tranflation of the Golden Verfes, and of the first book of Quillet's Poem, have nothing in them remarkable. The Golden Verfes are tedious. The version of Lucan is one of the greatest productions of English poetry; for there is perhaps none that fo completely exhibits the genius and spirit of the original. Lucan is diftinguished by a kind of dictatorial or philofophick dignity, rather, as Quintilian obferves, declamatory than poeti cal; full of ambitious morality and pointed

pointed fentences, comprised in vigorous and animated lines. This character Rowe has very diligently and fuccefsfully preferved. His verfification, which is fuch as his contemporaries practised, without any attempt at innovation or improvement, feldom wants either melody or force. His author's fenfe is fometimes a little diluted by additional infufions, and fometimes weakened by too much expanfion. But fuch faults are to be expected in all translations, from the conftraint of measures and diffimilitude of languages. The Phar

falia of Rowe deserves more notice than it obtains, and as it is more read will be more esteemed.