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" of one of the best men, as well as one of the best geniuses of the age. 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, immedi"ately before his laft agony, with the fame tran"quillity of mind, and the fame indifference for "life, as though he had been upon taking but a "fhort 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 age; and was buried the "nineteenth of the fame month in Westminster"abbey, in the aile where many of our English poets are interred, over against Chaucer, his "" body being attended by a felect number 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 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 muft "acquaint you, there is a vivacity and gaiety of

difpofition, almoft peculiar to him, which make "it impoffible to part from him without that unea"finefs 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

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was juftly offended with fome behaviour which "arofe from that want, and eftranged himself from "him; which Rowe felt very feverely. Mr. Pope, "their common friend, knowing this, took an "opportunity, at fome juncture of Mr. Addifon's "advancement, to tell him how poor Rowe was

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grieved at his difpleasure, and what fatisfaction "he expreffed at Mr. Addison's good fortune, which "he expreffed fo naturally, that he (Mr. Pope) could "not but think him fincere. Mr. Addifon 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 underftood Rowe well."

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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 hav meant all that he faid. Few characters can bear th microscopick fcrutiny of wit quickened by anger; and perhaps the best 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 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 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 fecond 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 business 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 fane pronounced fome prophetick rhymes, than-pafs and be gone-the scene 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 reasonableness 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 seldom pierces the breast, but he always delights the ear, and often improves the understanding.

His tranflation of the Golden Verses, and of the firft book of Quillet's Poem, have nothing in them remarkable. The Golden Verfes are tedious.

The verfion of Lucan is one of the greateft productions of English poetry; for there is perhaps none that fo completely exhibits the genius and spirit of the original. Lucan is distinguished by a kind of dictatorial or philofophick dignity, rather, as Quintilian obferves, 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 efteemed*.

* The Life of Rowe is a very remarkable inftance of the uncommon ftrength of Dr. Johnson's memory. When I received from him the MS. he complacently obferved, "that the criticifim was tolerably well done, confidering that he had not feen Rowe's Works for thirty years." N.

ADDISON,

JOSEPH 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 christened the fame day. After the ufual domeftick education, which from the character of his father may be reasonably supposed to have given him ftrong impreffions of piety, he was committed to the care of Mr. Naish at Ambrofebury, and afterwards of Mr. Taylor at Salisbury.

Not to name the school or the mafters of men illuftrious for literature is a kind of historical 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.