"He was only two hours about it. It begins *thus: "Dear happy groves, and you the dark retreat "Of filent horrour, Reft's eternal feat." From thefe lines, which are fince fomewhat mended, it appears that he did not think a work of two hours fit to endure the eye of criticism without revifal. When Mrs. Phillips was in Ireland, fome ladies that had seen her tranflation of Pompey, refolved to bring it on the stage at Dublin; and, to promote their design, Lord Rofcommon gave them a prologue, and Sir Edward Dering an Epilogue; "which," fays he, are the best performances of those kinds I ever faw." If this is not criticism, it is at leaft gratitude. The thought of bringing Cæfar and Pompey into Ireland, the only country over which Cæfar never had any power, is lucky. Of Rofcommon's works, the judgement of the publick feems to be right. He is elegant, but not great; he never labours after exquifite exquifite beauties, and he feldom falls into grofs faults. His verfification is fmooth, but rarely vigorous, and his rhymes are remarkably exact. He improved tafte, if he did not enlarge knowledge, and may be numbered among the benefactors to English lite rature. OTWAY. O T WA Y F THOMAS OTWAY, one of OF the first names in the English drama, little is known; nor is there any part of that little which his biographer can take pleasure in relating. He was born at Trottin in Suffex, March 3, 1651, the son of Mr. Humphry Otway, rector of Woolbeding. From Winchesterfchool, 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 reftraint, or mere eagerness to mingle with the world, is not known. |