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From these lines, which are fince somewhat 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 defign, Lord Rofcommon gave them a prologue, and Sir Edward Dering an Epilogue; "which," fays fhe, "are the best performances of those kinds I ever faw." If this is not criticifm, 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 beauties, and he feldom falls into grofs faults. His verfification is smooth, 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 literature.

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OT WAY.

F THOMAS OTWAY, one 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 fon of Mr. Humphry Otway, rector of Woolbeding. From Winchefter-fchool, where he was educated, he was entered, in 1669, a commoner of Chrift-church; but left the univerfity without a degree, whether for want of money, or from impatience of academical reftraint, or mere eagernefs to mingle with the world, is not known.

It feems likely that he was in hope of being bufy and confpicuous: for he went to London, and commenced player; but found himfelf unable to gain any reputation on the ftage.

This kind of inability he shared with Shakspeare and Jonfon, as he fhared likewife fome of their excel

lences,

lences. It seems reasonable to expect that a great dramatick poet should without difficulty become a great actor; that he who can feel, could exprefs; that he who can excite paffion, fhould exhibit with great readinefs its external modes: but fince experience has fully proved that of those powers, whatever be their affinity, one may be poffeffed 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 fame 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 fuppofed to want; or that the attention of the poet and the player have been differently employed; the one has been confidering thought, and the other action; one has watched the heart, and the other contemplated the face.

Though he could not gain much notice as a player, he felt in himself fuch powers as might qualify for a dramatick author; and, in 1675, his twenty-fifth year, produced Alcibiades, a tragedy; whether from the Alcibiade of Palaprat, I have not means to enquire. Langbain, the great detector of plagiarism, is

filent.

In 1677 he published Titus and Berenice, tranflated from Rapin, with the Cheats of Scapin from Moliere; and in 1678 Friendship in Fashion, a comedy, which, whatever might be its firft reception, was, upon its revival at Drury-lane in 1749, hiffed off the ftage for immorality and obfcenity.

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

enter

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, thofe 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 difmiffed again to their own narrow circumftances. Thus they languished in poverty without the support of

imminence.

Some exception, however, muft 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 Rochester mentions with merciless 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 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 the stage,

And prudently did not think fit to engage

The fcum of a play-houfe, for the prop of an age.

}

Don Carlos, from which he is reprefented as having received so 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 vey 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, 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 easily 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 comprehension of thought, or elegance of expreffion. But if the heart is interested, many other beauties may be wanting, yet not be miffed.

The fame year produced The Hiftory and Fall of Caius Marius; much of which is borrowed from the Romeo and Juliet of Shakspeare.

In 1683 was published the first, 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, a tragedy, which ftill 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

*The want of morality may be justly objected to almost the whole of Otway's writings. In the tragedy of the Orphan, in which the distress arifes folely from a vicious action of a young man, is this moft impious exclamation:

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