nies, and doubtlefs received many praifes, he undertook a verfion of the whole work, which he lived to finish, but not to publifh. It feems to have been printed under the care of Dr. Welwood, who prefixed the author's life, in which is contained the following character:

"As to his perfon, it was graceful and well-made; "his face regular, and of a manly beauty. As his "foul was well lodged, fo its rational and animal facul"ties excelled in a high degree. He had a quick and "fruitful invention, a deep penetration, and a large "compass of thought, with fingular dexterity and "eafinefs in making his thoughts to be understood. "He was master of most parts of polite learning, ef"pecially the claffical authors, both Greek and Latin; "understood the French, Italian, and Spanish languages, and spoke the firft fluently, and the other "two tolerably well.

"He had likewife read moft of the Greek and Ro"man hiftories in their original languages, and most "that are wrote in English, French, Italian, and

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Spanish. He had a good tafte in philofophy; and, "having a firm impreffion of religion upon his mind, "he took great delight in divinity and ecclefiaftical "hiftory, in both which he made great advances in "the times he retired into the country, which was frequent. He expreffed, on all occafions, his full per"fuafion of the truth of Revealed Religion; and being a fincere member of the established church him"felf, he pitied, but condemned not, thofe that dif "fented from it. He abhorred the principles of perfecuting men upon the account of their opinions in religion; and being ftrict in his own, he took it "not upon him to cenfure thofe of another perfuafion.

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"His converfation was pleasant, witty, and learned, "without the leaft tincture of affectation or pedantry; "and his inimitable manner of diverting and enliven'ing 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 con"ftitution; and whatever provocations he met with "at any time, he paffed them over without the least thought of refentment or revenge. As Homer had a Zoilus, fo Mr. Rowe had fometimes his; for "there were not wanting malevolent people, and pre"tenders to poetry too, that would now-and-then bark at his beft performances; but he was fo much con"fcious of his own genius, and had fo much goodnature 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 business, and nobody applied himself "clofer to it, when it required his attendance. The "late duke of Queensberry, when he was fecretary of "ftate, made him his fecretary for publick affairs; "and when that truly great man came to know him "well, he was never so pleased as when Mr. Rowe "was in his company. After the duke's death, all "avenues were flopped to his preferment; and during "the rest of that reign, he paffed his time with the "Mufes and his books, and fometimes the converfa"tion of his friends.

"When he had just got to be cafy 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 of "the best men, as well as one of the best geniuses, of "the age. He died like a Christian and a Philosopher,

" in charity with all mankind, and with an abfolute re"fignation 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 indif"ference for life, as though he had been upon taking "but a short journey. He was twice married; first 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 "first 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 66 age; and was buried the nineteenth of the fame "month in Westminster-abbey, in the ifle where many "of our English poets are interred, over-against "Chaucer, his body being attended by a select num-' "ber of his friends, and the dean and choir officiating "at the funeral."

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To this character, which is apparently given with the fondness of a friend, may be added the testimony 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 muft acquaint you, there "is a vivacity and gaiety of difpofition, almoft pe"culiar to him, which make it impoffible to part "from him without that uneafinefs which generally "fucceeds 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 decent "character, but had no heart. Mr. Addison was juftly "offended with fome behaviour which arofe from that

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want, and estranged himself from him; which Rowe "felt very feverely. Mr. Pope, their common friend, "knowing this, took an opportunity, at fome junc"ture of Mr. Addison's advancement, to tell him how

poor Rowe was grieved at his difpleafure, and what "fatisfaction he expreffed at Mr. Addifon's good for"tune; which he expreffed fo naturally, that he (Mr. "Pope) could not but think him fincere. Mr. Addi"fon 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 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. Addifon can hardly be fuppofed to have meant all that he faid. Few characters can bear the microfcopick fcrutiny of wit quickened by anger; and perhaps the beft advice to authors would be, that they fhould 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 ignominioufly, that his Biter is not inferted in his works; and his occafional poems and fhort compofitions are rarely worthy of either praife or cenfure; for they feem the cafual sports of a mind feeking

rather

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 opinion, any violation of Nature, if the change be made between the acts; for it is no less easy for the spectator 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, easily extricates himself from difficulties; as in Jane Grey, 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 difcriminations of kindred qualities, or nice difplay of paffion in its progrefs; all is general and undefined. Nor does he much interest 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 madnefs.

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 terror, but he often elevates the fentiments; he feldom pierces the