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terize 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 history 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 deteftation; and whatever good was withheld 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 moft applaufe; but occafional poetry muft 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 fee 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 stage, where it ftill keeps its turns of appearing, and probably will long keep them, for there is fcarcely any work of any poet at once fo interesting by the fable, and fo delightful by the language. The ftory is domeftick, and therefore easily 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 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 fpectator's kindness. It was in the power of Richardfon alone to teach us at once efteem and detef

tation,

tation, to make virtuous resentment overpower all the benevolence which wit, elegance, and courage, natuturally excite; and to lofe at laft the hero with 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 signs of repentance, but may be reasonably fufpected of feeling pain from detection rather than from guilt, and expreffes more fhame 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 potions.

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 fcene lies among our ancestors in our own country, and therefore very easily catches attention. Rhodogune is a perfonage truly tragical, of high spirit, and violent paffions, great with tempeftuous dignity, and wicked with a foul that would have been heroic if it had been virtuous. The motto feems to tell that this play was not fuccefsful.

Rowe

Rowe does not always remember what his characters require. In Tamerlane there is fome ridiculous mention of the God of Love; and Rhodogune, a favagé Saxon, talks of Venus, and the eagle that bears the thunder of Jupiter.

This play difcovers its own date, by a prediction of the Union, in imitation of Cranmer's prophetick promifes to Henry the Eighth. The anticipated bleffings of union are not very naturally introduced, nor very happily expreffed.

He once (1706) tried to change his hand. He ventured on a comedy, and produced the Biter; with which, though it was unfavourably treated by the audience, he was himself delighted; for he is faid to have fat in the houfe, laughing with great vehemence, whenever he had in his own opinion produced a jeft: But finding that he and the publick had no fympathy of mirth, he tried at lighter scenes no more.

After the Royal Convert (1714) appeared Janė Shore, written, as its author profeffes, in imitation of Shakspeare's style. In what he thought himself an imitator of Shakspeare, it is not eafy to conceive. The numbers, the diction, the fentiments, and the conduct, every thing in which imitation can confift, are remote in the utmost degree from the manner of Shakfpeare; whofe dramas it refembles only as it is an English ftory, and as fome of the perfons have their names in history. This play, confifting chiefly of domeftic fcenes and private diftrefs, lays hold upon the heart. The wife is forgiven becaufe fhe repents, and the hufband is honoured because he forgives. This, therefore, is one of thofe pieces which we ftill welcome on the ftage.

His laft tragedy (1715) was Lady Jane Grey. This fubject had been chofen by Mr. Smith, whofe papers were put into Rowe's hands fuch as he defcribes them in his preface. This play has likewife funk into oblivion. From this time he gave nothing more to the stage.

Being by a competent fortune exempted from any neceffity of combating his inclination, he never wrote in diftrefs, and therefore does not appear to have ever written in hafte. His works were finished to his own approbation, and bear few marks of negligence or hurry. It is remarkable that his prologues and epilogues are all his own, though he fometimes fupplied others; he afforded help, but did not folicit it.

As his ftudies neceffarily made him acquainted with Shakspeare, and acquaintance produced veneration, he undertook (1709) an edition of his works, from which he neither received much praise, nor feems to have expected it; yet, I believe, those who compare it with former copies will find that he has done more than he promised; and that, without the pomp of notes or boafts of criticism, many paffages are happily restored. He prefixed a life of the author, fuch as tradition then almost expiring could fupply; and a preface, which cannot be faid to discover much profundity or penetration. He at least contributed to the popularity of his author.

He was willing enough to improve his fortune by other arts than poetry. He was under-fecretary for three years when the duke of Queenfberry was fecretary of state, and afterwards applied to the earl of Oxford for fome publick employment * Oxford en

VOL. III.

• Spence.
D

joined

joined him to study Spanish; and when, fome time afterwards, he came again, and said that he had maftered it, difmiffed him with this congratulation, "Then, Sir, I envy you the pleasure of reading Don Quixot in the original."

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This story is fufficiently attefted; but why Oxford, who defired to be thought a favourer of literature, fhould thus infult a man of acknowledged merit; or how Rowe, who was fo keen a Whig that he did not willingly converfe with men of the oppofite party, could ask preferment from Oxford; it is not now poffible to discover. Pope, who told the story, did not fay on what occafion the advice was given; and though he owned Rowe's disappointment, doubted whether any injury was intended him, but thought it rather lord Oxford's odd way.

It is likely that he lived on difcontented through the rest of queen Anne's reign; but the time came at laft when he found kinder friends. At the acceffion of king George he was made poet laureat; I am afraid by the ejection of poor Nahum Tate, who (1716) died in the Mint, where he was forced to feek shelter by extreme poverty. He was made likewife one of the land furveyors of the cuftoms of the port of London. The prince of Wales chofe him clerk of his council; and the lord chancellor Parker, as soon as he received the feals, appointed him, unafked, fecretary of the prefentations. Such an accumulation of employments undoubtedly produced a very confiderable

revenue.

Having already tranflated fome parts of Lucan's Pharfalia, which had been published in the Mifcella

* Spence.

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