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buried the nineteenth of the fame month "in Westminster-abbey, in the isle where

many of our English poets are interred, "over-against Chaucer, his body being at"tended by a select number of his friends, “and the dean and choir officiating at the "funeral."

To this character, which is apparently given with the fondness of a friend, may be added the testimony of Pope; who says, in a letter to Blount, "Mr. Rowe accompa"nied me, and passed a week in the Forest. "I need not tell you how much a man of "his turn entertained me; but I muft ac"quaint you, there is a vivacity and gaiety "of difpofition, almoft peculiar to him, "which make it impoffible to part from "him without that uneafinefs which gene***rally 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, maintain"ed a decent character, but had no heart.

VOL. II.

"Mr. Addison was juftly offended with some "behaviour which arofe from that want, "and estranged himself from him; which "Rowe felt very feverely. Mr. Pope, their "common friend, knowing this, took an op

portunity, at fome juncture of Mr. Addi"fon's advancement, to tell him how poor "Rowe was grieved at his difpleasure, and “what fatisfaction he expreffed at Mr. Ad"difon'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 such, that he "is ftruck with any new adventure; and it "would affect him just in the fame manner, "if he heard I was going to be hanged.'"Mr. Pope faid, he could not deny but Mr. "Addifon understood Rowe well."

This cenfure time has not left us the power of confirming or refuting; but obfervation daily fhews, that much stress is not to be laid on hyperbolical accufations, and pointed fentences, which even he that utters them defires to be applauded rather than credited. Addison can hardly be fuppofed to have meant

all

all that he said. Few characters can bear the microscopick fcrutiny of wit quickened by anger; and perhaps the beft 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 ignominiously, that his Biter is not inferted in his works; and his occafional poems and fhort compofitions are rarely worthy of either praise or cenfure; for they seem the casual sports of a mind feeking rather to amufe its leifure than to exercise its powers.

In the construction 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 tranf acted without interruption. Rowe, by this licence, eafily extricates himself from difficulties; as in Jane Grey, 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 Jane pronounced fome prophetick rhymes, than-pafs and be gone-the fcene closes, 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 display of paffion in its progress; 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 noise, with no resemblance to real forrow or to natural madness.

Whence, then, has Rowe his reputation? From the reasonablenefs and propriety of fome of his scenes, from the elegance of his diction, and the fuavity of his verfe. He feldom

moves either pity or terror, but he often elevates the sentiments; he feldom pierces the breast, but he always delights the ear, and often improves the understanding.

His tranflation of the Golden Verses, and of the first book of Quillet's Poem, have nothing in them remarkable. The Golden Verses are tedious. The verfion of Lucan is one of the greatest 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 fuccessfully preserved. His verfification, which is such 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 expansion. But fuch faults are to be expected in all translations, from the constraint of me.fures and diffimilitude

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