one of the best men, as well as one of the best geniufes, of the age. He died like a Christian 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 "Dorsetshire. By the firft he had a fon; and by the "fecond 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 aisle where many of our English poets are in"terred, over-against Chaucer, his body being at"tended by a felect 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 Foreft. "I need not tell you how much a man of his turn "entertained me; but I must acquaint you, there is

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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 de"cent character, but had no heart. Mr. Addison "was juftly offended with fome behaviour which "arofe 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 at his difpleafure, and what fatisfaction he "expreffed 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 suspect 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 hang"ed.'-Mr. Pope said, he could not deny but Mr. "Addifon underftood Rowe well."

This cenfure time has not left us the power of confirming or refuting; but obfervation daily fhews, that much ftrefs 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 fupposed to have meant all that he faid. Few characters can bear the microscopick fcrutiny of wit quickened by anger; and perhaps the beft advice to authors would be, that 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 ignominiously, that his Biter is not inferted in his

works

works; and his occafional poems and fhort compofitions are rarely worthy either praife or cenfure; for they seem the casual sports of a mind seeking rather to amufe its leifure than to exercise 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 opi nion, any violation of Nature, if the change be made between the acts; for it is no less eafy for the fpectator to fuppofe himself at Athens in the second 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 bufinefs as is tranfacted without interruption. Rowe, by this licence, eafily extricates himself 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 gonethe 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 noife, 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 fpirit 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 conftraint 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 esteemed.

ADDISON.

OSEPH ADDISON was born on the first of

May, 1672, at Milfton, of which his father, Lancelot Addison, was then rector, near Ambrofebury in Wiltshire, and appearing weak and unlikely to live, he was chriftened the fame day. After the ufual domestick education, which, from the character of his father, may be reasonably fuppofed to have given him strong impreffions of piety, he was committed to the care of Mr. Naifh at Ambrofebury, and afterwards of Mr. Taylor at Salisbury.

Not to name the school or the masters of men illuftrious for literature, is a kind of hiftorical fraud, by which honeft fame is injuriously diminished: I would therefore trace him through the whole process of his education. In 1683, in the beginning of his twelfth year, his father, being made dean of Lichfield, naturally carried his family to his new refidence, and, I believe, placed him for fome time, probably not long, under Mr. Shaw, then mafter of the school at Lichfield, father of the late Dr. Peter

Shaw.