in consequence of the death of the duchess de Nemours. The decision was in favour of the king of Prussia, before whom he preached with such eloquence on the duties of subjects to their sovereign, that his majesty requested his sermons might be printed; but this was declined on the part of Ostervald. This year, however, he published his "Traité contre l'Impurité," which was translated into English, under the title of "A Discourse against the sin of Uncleanness," and went through many editions both in English, French, and German. In 1708 he again, accompanied by Werenfels, went to Geneva, where they lodged with their friend Alphonsus Turretin the younger; in this journey he fell in with the son of bishop Burnet. In November of next year he had the satisfaction to see his eldest son appointed pastor at Basil.

In 1720, his "Arguments and Reflections on the Bible" were published, and soon appeared in English at the instance of the Society for propagating Christian knowledge; and as Mr. Ostervald in 1724 printed a Bible with these reflections added to the respective chapters, the same was done in England; and the Bible thus illustrated has been often reprinted, until within these few years. In 1722 he published a volume of "Sermons," which were, like all his works, reprinted in various languages. He was at this time at Basil with his son, a temporary retirement which became now necessary to his health; yet he did not much intermit his usual labours of preaching, teaching, and the carrying on of an extensive correspondence. At length he was struck with apoplexy in August 1746, but survived in a weak and languid, though resigned state, until April 14, 1747, when he breathed his last in the eighty-fourth year of his age. During his illness, and after his death, the inhabitants of Neufchatel shewed every mark of profound veneration for his character, and of regret for his loss.1 · OSWALD (ERASMUS), a learned professor of the mathematics and of the Hebrew language, was born in the county of Merckenstein, in Austria, in 1511. He studied successively at the universities of Ingoldstadt, Leipsic, and Basil, from which last he went to Memmingen, in Swabia, on an invitation from the magistrates to become mathematical professor in that city; and afterwards to Tubingen, and was elected professor of Hebrew, with which he joined

a course of lectures on the mathematics. In 1552 he accepted of the united professorships of mathematics and Hebrew at Friburg, which he held for more than twentyseven years. He died in 1579, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. He was author of "Commentaria in Theorias Planetarum;" "De primo mobili;" "Commentaria in Sphæram Joannis de Sacrobosco;" "In Almagestum Ptolomæi Annotationes;" "Gentium Kalendarium;" "Oratio funebris de Obitu Sebastiani Munsterii," written in the Hebrew language. He likewise translated the New Testament into Hebrew, and wrote paraphrases on several books of the Bible.'

OTHO VENIUS. See VENIUS.

OTHO of FRISINGEN, so called, because he was bishop of that diocese in the twelfth century, was son of Leopold, marquis of Austria, and Agnes, daughter of the emperor Henry IV. He studied in the university at Paris, and retiring afterwards to the Cistertian monastery of Morimond in Burgundy, became abbot there. In 1138, he was made bishop of Frisingen, accompanied the emperor Conrad to the Holy Land, and died at Morimond, September 21, 1158, leaving a "Chronicle" in seven books, from the creation to 1146. This work, which is principally to be consulted for the history of the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries, was continued to 1210, by Otho de St. Blaise. Otho of Frisingen, who was an able Aristotelian, also wrote a treatise on the end of the world, and on Anti-Christ, and two books of the "Life of the Emperor Frederic Barbarossa," Each of these works may be found in the collections by Pistorius, Muratori, &c. and also separately.

OTT (JOHN HENRY), a learned Swiss divine, was born in the canton of Zurich in 1617, where he was first educated, but in 1635 was sent to study at Lausanne, Geneva, and Groningen, and afterwards at Leyden and Amsterdam. After this he visited England and France; and upon his return to his native country, obtained the living of Dietlickon, which he held for twenty-five years. In 1651 he was nominated to the professorship of eloquence at Zurich; in 1655, to that of Hebrew; and in 1668, to that of ecclesiastical history. He died in 1682, leaving behind him several works which indicate great learning and acquaintance with ecclesiastical history. Of these which are written in

1 Moreri.-Melchior Adam-Vossius de Math.

• Moreri,

Latin, the principal are, a treatise "On the Grandeur of the Church of Rome;" "Annals relating to the History of the Anabaptists;" "A Latin Discourse in favour of the, Study of the Hebrew Language;" "A Latin Treatise on Alphabets, and the Manner of Writing in all Nations." He, had a son, JOHN BAPTIST Ott, born in 1661, who acquired great celebrity by his knowledge of the oriental languages, and antiquities. He was pastor of a church at Zollicken, and afterwards professor of Hebrew at Zurich. In 1715 he was promoted to the archdeaconry of the cathedral in that city. He was the author of several works of considerable. reputation as, "A Dissertation on Vows;" "A Letter on Samaritan Medals, addressed to Adrian Reland:" both these are written in the Latin language; a treatise in German, "On the manuscript and printed Versions of the Bible before the era of the reformation;" and "A Dissertation on certain Antiquities discovered at Klothen, in 1724." Thus far we learn from Moreri and the Dictionnaire Historique, but we suspect that this John Baptist was either the John Henry Ott, librarian to archbishop Wake, or his brother. Of this last we are told, that archbishop Wake had received many civilities from his father in the early part of his life, and recollecting this, and that he had many children, appointed his son John Henry, whom he found in England, to be Dr. Wilkins's successor, as librarian at Lambeth. He also ordained him deacon and priest, and in June 1721, collated him to the rectory of Blackmanston, Kent. Mr. Ott obtained other promotions, the last of which, in 1730, was a prebend of Peterborough. He continued librarian till archbishop Wake's death, in 1737. The time of his own death we have not been able to ascertain.'

OTTO. See GUERICKE.

OTWAY (THOMAS), one of the first names in the English drama, was born at Trottin in Sussex, March 3, 16512, the son of the rev. Humphrey Otway, rector of Woolbeding. From Winchester-school, where he was educated, he was entered, in 1669, a commoner of Christ-church, but left the university without a degree, whether for want of money, or from impatience of academical restraint, or mere eagerness to mingle with the world, is not known. The anonymous writer of his life in one of the editions of

1 Moreri.-Dict. Hist.-Nichols's Bowyer.

his works, reports that he removed from Oxford to St. John's-college, Cambridge, the probability of which rests only on a copy of verses sent to him by Duke the poet, who was his intimate friend. At Cambridge, however, he could not have remained long, if ever he paid more than a visit to it, for he appeared in London in 1672 in the character of the king in Mrs. Behn's "Forced Marriage," and found himself unable to gain any reputation on the stage. If he ever went to Cambridge, it must have been after this period, for Duke himself was not entered of Trinity-college until 1675.

Dr. Johnson has endeavoured to account for his failure on the stage with more precision than perhaps was necessary, as the circumstance is far from being uncommon. This kind of inability, says that eminent critic, he shared with Shakspeare and Jonson, as he shared likewise some of their excellences. It seems reasonable to expect that a great dramatic poet should without difficulty become a great actor; that he who can feel, could express; that he who can excite passion, should exhibit with great readiness its external modes: but since experience has fully proved, that of those powers, whatever be their affinity, one may be possessed in a great degree by him who has very little of the other; it must be allowed that they depend upon different faculties, or on different use of the same faculty; that the actor must have a pliancy of mien, a flexibility of countenance, and a variety of tones, which the poet may be easily supposed to want; or that the attention of the poet and the player have been differently employed; the one has been considering thought, and the other action; one has watched the heart, and the other contemplated the face.

But, though Otway could not gain much notice as a player, he felt in himself such powers as might qualify him for a dramatic author; and his first attempt was on the higher species of the art. His tragedy of " Alcibiades" was acted at the Theatre-royal in 1675. The story is taken from Cornelius Nepos and Plutarch, but he departs from genuine history to accommodate the character of his hero to the effect he wished to produce. With Otway, Alcibiades chooses rather to lose his life than injure his defender king Agís, or abuse his bed. His "Don Carlos," another tragedy in heroic verse, was performed in 1676.

It is taken from a novel of the same name by S. Real, and from the Spanish chronicles in the life of Philip II.

It appears from a letter of Mr. Booth's to Aaron Hill, that "Don Carlos" succeeded much better than either "Venice Preserved," or "The Orphan," and was infinitely more applauded and followed for many years. It is even asserted that it was played for thirty nights together; but this report, as Dr. Johnson observes, may be reasonably doubted, as so long a continuance of one play upon the stage is a very wide deviation from the practice of that time; when the ardour for theatrical entertainments was not yet diffused through the whole people, and the audience, consisting nearly of the same persons, could be drawn together only by variety. This seems plausible, and Downes in his "Roscius Anglicanus," informs us that it was acted only ten successive days, but adds that "it got more money than any preceding tragedy," a circumstance alluded to by Rochester in the "Session of the Poets."

"Tom Otway came next, Tom Shadwell's dear Zany,

And swears, for heroics, he writes best of any:

Don Carlos his pockets so amply had fill'd,

That his mange was quite cur'd, and his lice were all kill'd." These lines, Dr. Johnson thinks, somewhat improbably, were written on Otway after he returned from Flanders, and lived in great indigence; and therefore he censures Rochester for his "merciless insolence."

In 1677 he produced "Titus and Berenice," a translation, with some alterations from Racine, in three acts, and written in rhyme, and "The Cheats of Scapin," a farce partly from Moliere, which were acted together with considerable success. The custom of annexing farces to plays was about this time introduced. These were followed in 1678, by his comedy of "Friendship in Fashion," which had some success, but we know not whether the author was at this time in London. It is certain that in 1677, he went abroad; a circumstance which is thus introduced by Dr. Johnson: "Want of morals, or of decency, did not in those days exclude any man from the company of the wealthy and the gay, if he brought with him any powers of entertainment; and Otway is said to have been at this time a favourite companion of the dissolute wits. But as he who desires no virtue in his companion has no virtue in himself, those whom Otway frequented had no purpose of doing more for him than to pay his reckoning. They de