He then undertook an edition of Ovid's Metamorphofes, tranflated by feveral hands; which he recommended by a Preface, written with more oftentation than ability: his notions are halfformed, and his materials immethodically confufed. This was his laft work. He died Jan. 18, 1717-18, and was buried at Harrow-on-the-Hill.

His perfonal character feems to have been focial and liberal. He communicated himfelf through a very wide extent of acquaintance; and though firm in a party, at a time when firmnefs included virulence, yet he imparted his kindness to thofe who were not fuppofed to favour his principles. He was an early encourager of Pope, and was at once the friend of Addifon and of Granville. is accufed of voluptuoufnefs and irreligion; and Pope, who fays, that "if ever there was a good "Chriftian, without knowing himself to be fo, "it was Dr. Garth," feems not able to deny what he is angry to hear, and loth to confefs.

He

Pope afterwards declared himself convinced that Garth died in the communion of the Church of Rome, having been privately reconciled. It is obferved by Lowth, that there is lefs diftance than is. thought between.fcepticifm and popery; and that a mind, wearied with perpetual doubt, willingly feeks repofe in the bofom of an infallible church.

His poetry has been praifed at least equally to its merit. In the Difpenfary there is a ftrain of fmooth and free verfification; but few lines are eminently elegant. No paffages fall below mediocrity, and few rife much above it. The plan feems formed without juft proportion to the fubject; the means and end have no neceflary connection. Refn, in his Preface to Pope's Effay, remarks, that Garth VOL. II. exhibits

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exhibits no diferimination of characters; and that what any one fays might with equal propriety have been faid by another. The general defign is perhaps open to criticifm; but the compofition can feldom be charged with inaccuracy or negligence. The author never flumbers in felf-indulgence; his full vigour is always exerted; fcarcely a line is left unfinished, 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 fupported by accidental and intrinfick popularity, it has been fcarcely able to support itself.

ROWE.

NICHOLAS ROWE was born at Little 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

In the Villare, Lamerton. Orig. Edit.

bravery

His father, John

bravery in the Holy War. Rowe, who was the firft that quitted his paternal acres to practise 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 firft fent to a private school at Highgate; and, being afterwards removed to Weftminster, was at twelve years* chofen one of the king's fcholars. His mafter was Bufby, who fuffered none of his fcholars to let their powers lie ufelefs; and his exercifes 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 ftudy of the law, and was entered a ftudent of the Middle Temple, where for fone 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 feries of precedents, or collection of pofitive precepts, but as a fyftem of rational government, and impartial justice.

When he was nineteen, he was by the death 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

* He was not elected till 1638. N.

Ambitious Step-Mother, which was received with fo much favour, that he devoted himself from that time wholly to elegant literature.

His next tragedy (1702) was Tamerlane, in which, under the name of Tamerlane 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 that can raise 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 moft, and that which probably, by the help of political auxiliaries, excited moft applaufe; but occafional poetry must often content itself with occafional praifc. 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 moft pleafing tragedies on the ftage, 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 interefting by the table, and fo delightful by the language. The ftory is domeftick, and therefore cafily received by the imagination, and affimilated to common life; the diction is exquifitely harmonious, and foft.or ipritely as occafion requires.

The

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 esteem and deteftation, to make virtuous refentment overpower 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 obferved, that the title of the play does not fufficiently correfpond with the behaviour of Califta, who at laft fhews no evident figns of repentance, but may be reafonably 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 difguft 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 immagination. The fcene lies among our anK 3 ceftors