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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 Winchester-fchool, where he was educated, he was entered, in 1669, a commoner of Chrift-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.

It feems likely that he was in hope of being bufy and confpicuous: for he went to London, and commend player; but found himself unable to gain any reputacon on the fage.

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

lences.

H

lences. It feems reafonable 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, should 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 ufe 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 plagiarifi, 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 himfelf, 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 circumstances, 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 reafon, 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 flage,

And prudently did not think fit to engage

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

}

Don Carlos, from which he is reprefented as having received fo much benefit, was played in 1675. It apFears, 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 so long a continuance of one play upon the stage 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, confisting 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 domestick tragedy drawn from middle life. Its whole power is upon the affections; for it is not written with much comprehenfion 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 last and greatest dramatick work, Venice preserved, a tragedy, which still continues to be one of the favourites of the publick, notwithstanding the want of morality in the original defign, and the defpicable scenes of vile comedy with which he has diverfified his tragick action *. By

comparing

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

comparing this with his Orphan, it will appear that

become ftronger, and his The ftriking paffages are publick feems to judge

his images were by time language more energetick. in every mouth; and the rightly of the faults and excellences of this play, that it is the work of a man not attentive to decency, nor zealous for virtue; but of one who conceived forcibly, and drew originally, by confulting nature in his own breaft.

Together with thofe plays he wrote the poems which are in the late collection, and tranflated from the French the Hiflory of the Triumvirate.

All this was performed before he was thirty-four years old; for he died April 14, 1685, in a manner which I am unwilling to mention. Having been compelled by his neceffities to contract debts, and hunted, as is fuppofed, by the terriers of the law, he retired to a publick houfe on Tower-hill, where he is faid to have died of want; or, as it is related by one of his biographers, by fwallowing, after a long faft, a piece of bread which charity had fupplied. He went out, as is reported, almost naked, in the rage of hunger, and finding a gentleman in a neighbouring coffee-houfe, afked him for a thilling. The gentleman gave him a guinca; and Otway going away bought a roll, and was choaked with the first mouthful. All this, I hope, is not true; and there is this ground of better hope, that

'Tis thus that Heaven its empire does maintain,

It may afli&t. but man muit not complain.

How different from that, in Shakespear's Ecar, of Edgar, whose baltaid brother Edmund had been acceffry to their father Gloucefter's mistries!

4

The gods are just, and of our pleafant vices
Make inftruments to fcourge us.

Pope,

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