few rise much above it. The plan feems formed without juft proportion to the fubject; the means and end have no neceffary connection. Refnel, in his Preface to Pope's Effay, remarks, that Garth exhibits no difcrimination of characters; and that what any one fays might, with equal propriety, have been faid by another. The general defign is, perhaps, open to criticism; but the compofition can seldom be charged with inaccuracy or negligence. The author never flumbers in felf-indulgence; his full vigour is always exerted; fcarcely a line is left unfi nifhed; nor is it easy to find an expreffion ufed by constraint, or a thought imperfectly expreffed. It was remarked by Pope, that the Difpenfary had been corrected in every edition, and that every change was an improvement. It appears, however, to want fomething of poetical ardour, and fomething of general delectation; and therefore, fince it has been no longer supported by accidental and intrinfick popųlarity, it has been fcarcely able to fupport itself,

ROWE.

ROWE.

ICHOLAS ROWE was born at Little

N'

*

Beckford, in Bedfordshire, in 1673. His family had long poffeffed a confiderable eftate, with a good houfe, at Lambertoun in Devonshire. The ancestor from whom he defcended in a direct line received the arms borne by his defcendants for his bravery in the Holy War. His father, John Rowe, who was the firft that quitted his paternal acres to practife any art of profit, profeffed the law, and published Benlow's and Dallifon's Reports in the reign of James the Second, when, in oppofition to the notions, then diligently propagated, of difpenfing power, he ventured to remark how low his authors rated the prerogative. He was made a ferjeant, and died April 30, 1692. He was buried in the Temple church.

Nicholas was first sent to a private school at Highgate; and, being afterwards removed to Weftmin,

* In the Villare, Lamerton. Orig. Edit.

fter,

fter, was at twelve years* chofen one of the king's fcholars. His mafter was Bufby, who fuffered none. of his scholars to let their powers lie ufelefs; and his exercises in feveral languages are faid to have been written with uncommon degrees of excellence, and yet to have coft him very little labour.

At fixteen he had, in his father's opinion, made advances in learning fufficient to qualify him for the study of law, and was entered a ftudent of the Middle Temple, where for fome time he read ftatutes' and reports with proficiency proportionate to the force of his mind, which was already fuch that he endeavoured to comprehend law, not as a series of precedents, or collection of pofitive precepts, but as a system of rational government, and impartial justice.

When he was nineteen, he was, by the death of of his father, left more to his own direction, and probably from that time fuffered law gradually to give way to poetry. At twenty-five he produced the Ambitious Step-Mother, which was received with fo much favour, that he devoted himfelf from that time wholly to elegant literature.

His next tragedy (1702) was Tamerlane, in which, under the name of Tan:erlane, he intended to characterize king William, and Lewis the Fourteenth under 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

* He was not elected till 1688.

N.

that

that can raise horror and deteftation; and whatever good was with-held from him, that it might not be thrown away, was bestowed upon king William.

This was the tragedy which Rowe valued most, and that which probably, by the help of political auxiliaries, excited most applaufe; but occafional poetry must often content itself 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 see him painted with aggravated features, like a Saracen upon a fign.

The Fair Penitent, his next production (1703), is one of the most pleafing tragedies on the ftage, where it ftill keeps its turns of appearing, and probably will long keep them, for there is scarcely 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 sprightly as occafion requires.

The character of Lothario feems to have been expanded by Richardfon 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 spectator's kindness. It was in the power of Richardfon alone to teach us at once efteem and deteftation, to make virtuous refentment over-power all the benevolence which wit, 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 observed, that the title of the play does not fufficiently correfpond with the behaviour of Calista, who at laft fhews no evident figns of repentance, but may be reasonably fufpected of feeling pain from detection rather than from guilt, and expreffes more shame than forrow, and more rage than fhame.

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 pleasure from their revival; to fhew them, as they have already been fhewn, is to disgust 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 more eafily and properly adapted; for when objects are imperfectly feen, they easily take forms from imagination. The scene lies among our ancestors in our own country, and therefore very eafily catches attention. Rodogune is a perfonage truly tragical, of high fpirit, and violent paffions, great with tempeftuous dignity, and wicked with a foul that would have been heroick if it had been virtuous. The motto seems to tell, that this play was not fuccessful.

Rowe does not always remember what his characters require. In Tamerlane there is fome ridiculous mention of the God of Love; and Rodogune, a fa