I being ftrict in his own, he took it not upon him "to cenfure thofe of another perfuafion. His con

verfation was pleafant, witty, and learned, without "the leaft tincture of affectation or pedantry; and "his inimitable manner 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 feemed to be entirely foreign to his "conftitution; and whatever provocations he met "with at any time, he paffed them over without the "leaft thought of refentment or revenge. As Homer "had a Zoilus, fo Mr. Rowe had fometimes his ; "for there were not wanting malevolent people, and "pretenders to poetry too, that would now-and-then "bark at his best performances; but he was confcious "of his own genius, and had fo much good-nature as to forgive them; nor could he ever be tempted "to return them an answer.

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"The love of learning and poetry made him not "the lefs fit for bufinefs, and nobody applied him"felf clofer to it, when it required his attendance. "The late duke of Queenfberry, when he was fecre

tary of ftate, made him his fecretary for publick “affairs; and when that truly great man came to "know him well, he was never fo pleafed as when "Mr. Rowe was in his company. After the duke's "death, all avenues were ftopped to his preferment;

6.6

and, during the rest of that reign, he paffed his "time with the Mufes and his books, and fometimes "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 "fwept him away, and in him deprived the world of

one.

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ge

"one of the beft men, as well as one of the best "niufes, of the age. He died like a Chriftian and a Philofopher, 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 the fame tranquillity of mind, "and the fame indifference for life, as though he "had been upon taking but a short journey. He was "twice married; firft to a daughter of Mr. Parfons, "one of the auditors of the revenue; and afterwards "to a daughter of Mr. Devenish, of a good family in "Dorfetfhire. By the firft he had a fon; and by the "second a daughter, married afterwards to Mr. Fane. "He died the fixth of December, 1718, in the forty"fifth year of his age; and was buried the nine"teenth of the fame month in Westminster-abbey, in "the aifle where many of our English poets are in"terred, over against Chaucer, his body being at"tended by a select number of his friends, and the "dean and choir officiating at the funeral."

To this character, which is apparently given with the fondness of a friend, may be added the teftimony of Pope, who fays, in a letter to Blount, " Mr. Rowe "accompanied me, and paffed a week in the Forest. "I need not tell you how much a man of his turn "entertained me; but I must acquaint you, there is "a vivacity and gaiety of difpofition, almoft pecu"liar to him, which make it impoffible to part from "him without that uneafinefs which generally fuc"ceeds all our pleasure."

Pope has left behind him another mention of his

companion, lefs advantageous, which is thus reported by Dr. Warburton.

"Rowe, in Mr. Pope's opinion, maintained a de66 cent character, but had no heart. Mr. Addifon "was juftly offended with fome behaviour which "arose from that want, and estranged himself from "him; which Rowe felt very feverely. Mr. Pope, "their common friend, knowing this, took an op

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portunity, at fome juncture of Mr. Addifon's ad"vancement, to tell him how poor Rowe was grieved έσ at his difpleasure, and what fatisfaction he ex

preffed at Mr. Addifon's good fortune, which he "expreffed fo naturally, that he (Mr. Pope) could "not but think him fincere. Mr. Addifon replied, "I do not fufpect that he feigned; but the levity "of his heart is fuch, that he is ftruck with any new "adventure; and it would affect him juft in the “fame manner, if he heard I was going to be "hanged.'-Mr. Pope faid he could not deny but "Mr. Addifon understood Rowe well."

This cenfure time has not left us the power of confirming or refuting; but obfervation daily fhews, that much stress is not to be laid on hyperbolical accufations, and pointed fentences, which even he that utters them defires to be applauded rather than credited. Addison can hardly be fuppofed to have meant all that he faid. Few characters can bear the microscopick fcrutiny of wit quickened by anger; and perhaps the best advice to authors would be, tnat they should keep out of the way of one another.

Rowe is chiefly to be confidered as a tragick writer and a tranflator. In his attempt at comedy he failed

fo

fo ignominioufly, that his Biter is not inferted in his works; and his occafional poems and short compofitions are rarely worthy of either praife or cenfure; for they seem the casual sports of a mind seeking rather to amufe its leifure than to exercife its powers.

In the conftruction of his dramas, there is not much art; he is not a nice obferver of the Unities. He extends 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 suppose himself at Athens in the fecond act, than at Thebes in the firft; but to change the fcene, 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 business as is tranfacted without interruption. Rowe, by this licence, eafily extricates himfelf from difficulties; as, in Jane Gray, 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 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 difcritninations 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 refemblance to real forrow or to natural madness.

Whence, then, has Rowe his reputation? From the reasonablenefs and propriety of fome of his fcenes, from the elegance of his diction, and the fuavity of his verfe. He feldom moves either pity or terrour, but he often elevates the fentiments; he feldom pierces the breaft, but he always delights the ear, and often 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 verfion 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 distinguished by a kind of dictatorial or philofophick dignity, rather, as Quintilian observes, declamatory than poetical; full of ambitious morality and 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 practifed, 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 tranflations, from the constraint of measures and diffimilitude of languages. The Pharfalia of Rowe deferves more notice than it obtains, and as it is more read will be more efteemed.

ADDI