T

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 faid to have been at this time a favourite companion of the diffolute wits. But, as he who defires 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 defired only to drink and laugh; their fondnefs was without benevolence, and their familiarity without friendship. Men of wit, fays one of Otway's biographers, received at that time no favour from the great but to fhare their riots; from which they were b 3

dif

.4

difmiffed again to their own narrow circumftances. Thus they languifhed in poverty without the fupport of imminence.: Some exception, however, must be made. The earl of Plymouth, one of king Charles's natural fons, procured for him a cornet's commiffion in fome troops then fent into Flanders. But Otway did not, profper in his military character; for he foon left his commiffion behind him, whatever was the reason, and came back to London in extreme indigence; which Rochefter mentions with mercilefs infolence in the Seffion of the Poets:

Tom Otway came next, Tom Shadwell's dear zany,

And fwears for heroicks he writes beft

of any;

Don

Don Carlos his pockets fo amply had

fill'd,

That his mange was quite cured, and his lice were all kill'd..

But Apollo had feen his face on then ftage,

And prudently did not think fit to en

gage

The fcum of a play-houfe, for the prop

Don Carlos, from which he is reprefented as having received fo much benefit, was played in 1675. It appears, by the Lampoon, to have had great fuccefs, and is faid to have been played thirty nights together. This however, it is reasonable to doubt, as fo long a continuance of one play upon. the

ftage is a very wide deviation from the practice of that time; when the ardourfor theatrical entertainments was not yet diffufed through the whole people, and the audience, confifting nearly of the fame perfons, could be drawn together only by variety.

The Orphan was exhibited in 1680. This is one of the few plays that keep. poffeffion of the stage, and has pleased: for almost a century, through all the viciffitudes of dramatick fashion. Of this play nothing new can eafily be faid. It is a domeftick tragedy drawn from middle life. Its whole power is upon the affections; for it is not written with much comprehenfion of thought, or ele gance of expreffion. But if the heart is.

interested, many other beauties may be wanting, yet not be miffed.

The fame year produced The History and Fall of Caius Marius much of which is borrowed from the Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare.

In 1683 was published the firft and next year the fecond parts of The Soldier's Fortune, two comedies now forgotten; and in 1685 his laft and greatest dramatick work, Venice preferved, à tra! gedy, which fill continues to be one of the favourites of the publick, notwithstanding the want of morality in the original defign, and the defpicable fcenes of vile comedy with which he has diverfified his tragick action. By comparing this with his Orphan, it will,

appear