his hand by Mr. Duckèt, confifting of loose hints of fentiments, and short sketches of fcenes, from which he borrowed one, in which Lord Guildford fingly perfuades Lady Jane to take the crown, inserted in the third act. This play is frequently acted with success, though not abfolutely on the acting list of plays.

His attachmeat to poetry did not entirely unfit him for business. He was Under-Secretary for three years, when the Duke of Queensberry was Secretary of State. After the Duke's death, the avenues to his preferment being flopped, he paffed his time in retirement during the rest of Queen Anne's reign.

A story is told by Spence, of his applying to Harley for fome public employment. Harley enjoined him to ftudy Spanish, and when he came again and faid that he had mastered it, difmiffed him with this congratulation. Then, Sir, I envy you the pleasure of reading Don Quixotte in

the original."

The story may be justly doubted; for Harley, who was defirous to be thought a patron of literature, cannot be supposed to infult a man of acknowledged merit; and Rowe, who was fo zealous a Whig, that he did not willingly affociate with Tories, cannot be fuppofed to afk preferment of the leader of the oppofite party.

At the acceffion of King George, he was made Poet-Laureat, in the room of Tate, who died in 1716, in the Mint, where he was forced to feek fhelter from extreme poverty. He was likewife made one of the Land-furveyors of the Port of London. The Prince of Wales chofe him Clerk of his Council, and the Lord Chancellor Parker, as foon as he received the Seals, appointed him, unasked, Secretary of Prefentations.

Having already tranflated fome part of Lucan's Fharfalia, which had been published in the Mif cellanies, he undertook a verfion of the whole work, which he lived to finish, but not to publish. He died the 6th of December 1718, in the 45th year of his age, and was buried among the Poets in Weftminster Abbey.

He was twice married, first to a daughter of Mr. Auditor Parfons, and afterwards to a daugh ter of Mr. Devenish, of a good family in Devonshire. By his first wife he had a fon, and by the fecond a daughter, married to Mr. Fane.

His character is given by Dr. Welwood with the fondness of a friend.

His perfon was graceful and well made, his face regular and of a manly beauty. He had quick and fruitful invention, a deep penetration, and a large compafs of thought, with fingular dexterity and easiness in making his thoughts to be understood. He was master of most parts of polite learning, efpecially the claffical authors, both Greek and Latin, understood the French, Ita lian, and Spanish languages, and spoke the first fluently, and the other two tolerably well. He had a good taste in philosophy, and having a firm impreffion of religion upon his mind, he took great delight in divinity and ecclefiaftical hiftory. He abhored the principle of perfecuting men upon account of their principles in religion, and being strict in his own, he took it not upon him to cenfure those of another perfuafion. His converfation was pleasant, witty, and learned, without the least tincture of affectation or pedantry, and his inimitable manner of diverting the company, made it impoffible for any one to be out of humour when he was in it. He died like a Chriftian 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 last, and took leave of his wife and friends, immediately before his last agony, with the fame indifference for life as though he had been upon taking but a fhort journey."

To this character 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 a vivacity and gaiety of difpofition almost peculiar to him, which makes it impoffible to part from him without that uneafinefs which generally fucceeds all our pleafures.'

A lefs advantageous mention of his companion is reported by Warburton. “Rowe, in Mr. Pope's opinion, maintained a decent character, but had no heart." A conversation is added har VOL, VII,

tween Pope and Addifon, in which Pope is reported to have mentioned the fatisfaction which their common friend expreffed at fome junsure of Addifon's advancement, and Addison is faid to have 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 that I was going to be hanged." But much stress is not to be laid on hyperbolical accufations, and pointed fentences, which were probably meant to be applauded rather than credited; for it is to be hoped that he who knew how to feize the hearts of others, did not want one himself.

Pope has left behind him a refutation of this cenfure, in his "Epitaph on Rowe," which contains a liberal encomium on his genius, his patriotifm, and his fenfibility. A more unquestionable teftimony to the excellence of his heart, is to be found in the love and cfteem of men of the highest reputation for abilities and virtue among his contemporaries.

Enough for him that Congreve was his friend,

That Garth, and Steele, and Addison commend.

His "Poetical Works," confifting of his plays and mifcellanecus poems, were collected and printed by Tonfon, in 3 vols. 12mo, 1719. An account of his life was prefixed by the Rev. S. Hales, dated St. James's, December 28. 1718, with Verfes on his death by Mr. Beckingham, Mr. Amhurst, Mrs. Centlivre, and Mr. Newcomb.

His tranflation of Lucan's Pharfalia was published by Dr. Welwood, foon after his death; and dedicated to the King by his widow, at his defire.

Rowe is chiefly diftinguished as a dramatift and a tranflator. His occafional poems and fhort compofitions, like thofe of Shakspeare and Otway, are rarely worthy of much praise or cenfure; for they feem the cafual effufions of a mind feeking rather to amufe its leifure than to exercise its powers. His tranflation of the Golden Verfes of Pythagoras, and of the first book of Quillet's Gallipædia, is smooth and free; yet few lines are eminently elegant. The Poem on the Succefs of his Majesty's Arms is tedious. His beautiful ballad, intituled, Colin's Complaint, is the most popular of his little pieces. It may be ranked with the " Pafloral Ballad" of Shenstone, of which it was probably the model.

His admirable verfion of Lucan is not appended to this edition of his poems, in confequence of an arrangement adopted by the proprietors of this publication, which is to give the entire tranfla. tions of the poetical authors of antiquity in a particular series.

"I know not that there can be found in his plays," fays Dr. Johnson, any deep fearch into nature, any accurate discrimination of kindred qualities, or nice display of paffion in its progress; all is general and undefined. Nor does he much interest or affed the auditor, except in Jane Shore, who is always feen and heard with pity. Eicia is a character of empty noife, with no refemblance to real forrow, or to natural madness.”

"Whence, then, has Rowe his reputation?-From the reasonableness and propriety of some of his fcenes, from the elegance of his diction, and the fuavity of his verse. He feldom noves either pity or terror, but he often elevates the fentiments; he feldom pierces the heart, but he always delights the ear, and often improves the understanding.”

"His verfion of Lucan is one of the greatest productions of English poetry; for there is perhaps none that fo completely preferves the genius and spirit of the original. Lucan is diftinguished by a kind of dictatorial or philofophic dignity; rather, as Quintilian obferves, declamatory than poetica); full of ambitious morality and pointed fentences comprised in vigorous and animated lines. This character Rowe has very diligently and fuccessfully preferved. His verfification, which is such 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 aud diffimilitude of languages. The Pharfalia of Rowe deferves more notice than it obtains, and as it is more read will be more efteemed.”,

This above all, this precept chiefly learn,
This nearly does, and first, thyfelf concern;
Let not example, let no foothing tongue,
Prevail upon thee with a Syren's fong,
To do thy foul's immortal effence wrong.
O good and ill by words or deeds expreft,
Choose for thyself, and always choose the best."
Let wary thought each enterprife forerun,
And ponder on thy task before begun,
Left folly fhould the wretched work deface,
And mock thy fruit fs labours with difgrace.
Fools huddle on, and always are in hafte,
A&t without thou ht, and thoughtless words they
waste.

But thou, in all thou dost, with early cares
Strive to prevent at firft a fate like theirs;
That forrow on the end may never wait,
Nor fharp repentance make thee wife too late.

Beware thy meddling hand in ought to try,
That does beyond thy reach of knowledge lie;
But feck to know, and bend thy ferious thought
To fearch the profitable knowledge out.
So joy on joys for ever fhall increafe,
Wifdom fhall crown thy labours, and' fhalį bless
Thy life with pleafure, and thy end with peace.
Nor let the body want its part, but fhare
A juft proportion of thy tender care:
For health and welfare prudently provide,
And let its lawful wants be all fupply'd.

Let faber draughts refresh, and wholefome fare?
Decaying nature's waited force repair;
And fprightly exercife the duller fpirits cheer.
In all things ftill which to this care belong,
Obferve this rule, to guard thy foui from wrong.
By virtuous ufe thy life and manners frame,
Manly and fimply pure, and free from blame.
Provoke nor envy's deadly rage, but fly
The glancing curfe of her malicious eye.
Seck not in needlefs luxury to waste
Thy

wealth and substance with a spendthrift's

hafte.

Yet flying thefe, be watchful, left thy mind,
Prone to extrémes, an equal danger find,
And be to fordid avarice inclin'd.
Diftant alike from each, to neither lean,
But ever keep the happy golden mean.

Be careful ftill to guard thy foul from wrong,
And let thy thought prevent thy hand and

tongue.

Let not the ftealing god of fleep furprise,
Nor creep in flumbers on thy weary eyes,
Ere every action of the former day
Strictly thou doft and righteously furvey.
With reverence at thy own' tribunal ftand,
And answer justly to thy own demand.

Where have I been? In what have I tranf

grefs'd?

What good or ill has this day's life express'd?

晨

Where have I fail'd in what I ought to do?
In what to God, to man, or to myself I owe?
Inquire fevere what-e'er from first to last,

If good, the good with peace of mind repay,
And to thy fecret felf with pleasure say,
Rejoice, my heart, for all wear well to day.
These thoughts, and chiefly these thy mind
fhould move,

Employ thy study, and engage thy love.
These are the rules which will to virtue lead,
And teach thy feet her heavenly paths to trade.
This by his name I fwear, whofe facred lore
First to mankind' explain'd the myftic four,
Source of eternal nature and almighty power.

In all thou doft first let thy prayers afcend,
And to the gods thy labours first commend:
From them implore fuccefs, and hope a profper-
ous end.

So fhall thy abler mind be taught to foar,
And wisdom in her fecret ways explore;
To range through heaven above and earth below,
Immortal gods and mortal men to know.

So fhalt thou learn what power does ail control,
What bounds the parts, and what unites the

whole:

And rightly judge, in all this wondrous frame,
How univerfal nature is the fame;

So fhalt thou ne'er thy vain affections place
On hopes of what fhall never come to pass.

Man, wretched man, thou shalt be taught to

know,

Who bears within himself the inborne cause of woes
How near their good and happiness they dwell.
Unhappy race! that never yet could tell,
Depriv'd of fenfe, they neither hear not fee;
Fetter'd in vice, they feek not to be free,
But ftupid, to their own fad fate agree :
Like ponderous rolling-ftones, opprefs with ill,
The weight that loads them makes them roll on
ftill,

Bereft of choice and freedom of the will;
For native ftrife in every bofom reigns,
And fecretly an impious war maintains :
Provoke not this, but let the combat cease,
And every yielding paffion fue for peace..
Would't thou, great Jove, thou father of man-
kind,

Reveal the dinion for that talk affign'd,
The wretched race an end of woes would find.
And yet be bold, O man, divine thou art,
And of the gods celeftial effence part.
Nor facred nature is from thee conceal'd,
But to thy race her myftic rules reveal'd.
These il to know thou happily attain,
Soon fhalt thou perfect be in all that I ordain.
Thy wounded foul to health thou fhalt reftore,
And free from every pain fhe felt before.

Abftain, I warn, from meats unclean and foul,
So keep thy body pure, fo free thy foul;
So rightly judge; thy reafon fo maintain;
Reafon which heaven did for thy guide ordain,
Let that best reafon ever hold the rein.
Then if this mortal body thou forfake,
And thy glad flight to the pure æther take,

From morning's dawn, till evening's gloom, has Among the gods exalted fhalt thou shine,

paft.

Ievil were thy deeds, repenting mourn,
She let thy foul with frong remorse be torn.

Immortal, incorruptible, divine:

The tyrant death fecurely fhalt thou brave,
And scorn the dark dominion of the graves