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poetry. The Ambitious Stepmother, which was received with fo much favour, that he devoted himself from that time wholly to the more elegant parts of writing.

At twenty-five he produced

His next tragedy (1702) was Tamerlane, in which, under the name of Tamerlane, he intended to characterife king William, and Lewis the Fourteenth under that of Bajazet. The virtues of Tamerlane feem to have been arbitrarily affigned him by his poet, for I know not that hiftory gives any other qualities than those which make a conqueror. The fashion however of the time was, to accumulate upon Lewis all that can raife horror and deteftatior; and whatever good was withheld from him, that it

might not be thrown away, was beftowed upon king William.

This was the tragedy which Rowe valued moft, and that which probably, by the help of political auxiliaries, excited moft applaufe; but occafional poetry must often content itfelf with occafional praife. Tamerlane has for a long time been acted only once a year, on the night when king. William landed. Our quarrel with Lewis has been long over, and it now gratifies neither zeal nor malice to fee him painted with aggravated features, like a Saracen upon as fign.

The Fair Penitent, his next production (1703), is one of the moft pleafing tragedies on the ftage, where it

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fill keeps its turns of appearing, and probably will long keep them, for thereis fcarcely any work of any poet at once fo interefting by the fable, and fo delightful by the language. The ftory is domeftick, and therefore eafily received by the imagination, and affimilated to common life; the diction is exquifitely harmonious, and foft or fpritely as occafion requires.

The character of Lothario feems to have been expanded by Richardson into Lovelace, but he has excelled his original in the moral effect of the fiction. Lothario, with gaiety which cannot be hated, and bravery which cannot be defpifed, retains too much of the fpectator's kindness. It was in the

power

power of Richardfon alone to teach us at once esteem and deteftation, to make virtuous refentment overpower all the benevolence which wit, and elegance, and courage, naturally excite; and to lofe at laft the hero in the villain.

The fifth act is not equal to the former; the events of the drama are exhaufted, and little remains but to talk of what is paft. It has been obferved, that the title of the play does not fufficiently correfpond with the behaviour of Califta, who at laft fhews no evident figns of repentance, but may be reafonably fufpected of feeling pain from detection rather than from guilt, and expreffes more fhame than forrow, and, more rage than fhame.

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His next (1706) was Ulyffes; which, with the common fate of mythological ftories, is now generally neglected. We have been too early acquainted with the poetical heroes to expect any pleasurefrom their revival; to fhew them as they have already been fhewn, is to difguft by repetition; to give them new qualities or new adventures, is to offend by violating received notions.

The Royal Convert (1708) feems to have a better claim to longevity. The fable is drawn from an obfcure and barbarous age, to which fictions are most easily and properly adapted; for when objects are imperfectly feen, they eafily take forms from imagination. The scene lies among our ancestors in our own.

country,

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