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 extrinsick popularity, it has been scarcely able to fupport itself,

ROWE.

R O W E.

N'

ICHOLAS ROWE was born at Little Beckford in Bedfordshire, in 1673. His family had long poffeffed a confiderable estate, with a good house, at Lambertoun * in Devonshire. The ancestor from whom he defcended in a direct line, received the arms borne by his defcendants for his bravery in the Holy War. His father John 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

* In the Villare, Lamerton.

then

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 first sent to a private school at Highgate; and being afterwards removed to Westminster, was at twelve years chofen one of the King's fcholars. His master was Busby, who fuffered none of his scholars to let their powers lie ufelefs; and his exercifes in several 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 study of law, and was entered a ftudent of the Middle Temple, where for fome 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 series of precedents, or collection of pofitive precepts, but as a fyftem of rational government, and impartial justice.

When

When he was nineteen, he was by the death of his father left more to his own direction, and probably from that time suffered law gradually to give way to poetry. At twenty-five he produced The Ambitious Stepmother, 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 characterife king William, and Lewis the Fourteenth under that of Bajazet. The virtues of Tamerlane seem 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 raife 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 most, and that which probably, by the help of political auxiliaries, excited moft applause;

but

but occafional poetry must often conten itfelf with occafional praife. 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 see him painted with aggravated features, like a Saracen upon a fign.

The Fair Penitent, his next production (1703), is one of the most pleasing tragedies on the stage, where it ftill keeps its turns of appearing, and probably will long keep them, for there is scarcely any work of any poet at once fo interefting by the fable, and fo delightful by the language. The story is domestick, and therefore easily received by the imagination, and affimilated to common life; the diction is exquifitely harmonious, and foft or fpritely as occafion requires.

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 kindnefs. It was in the

power

of