pofed to have learned from Hobbes, and his morality was such as naturally proceeds from loofe opinions. His fentiments with refpect to women he picked up in the court of Charles, and his principles concerning property were fuch as a gaming-table fupplies. He was cenfured as covetous, and has been defended by an inattention to his affairs, as if a man might not at once be corrupted by avarice and idleness. He is faid however to have had much tenderness, and to have been very ready to apologize for his violences of paffion."

Dr. Johnson confiders him as "a writer that fometimes glimmers, but rarely fhines, feebly laborious, and at best but pretty. His fongs are upon common topicks; he hopes, and grieves, and repents, and defpairs, and rejoices, like any other maker of little ftanzas; to be great he hardly tries; to be gay is hardly in his power."

"His " Effay on Poetry" is the great work, for which he was praised by Rofcommon, Dryden, and Pope, and doubtlefs by many more whofe eulogies have perished.

"Of this effay, which Dryden has exalted fo highly, it may be justly faid, that the precepts are judicious, fometimes new, and often happily expreffed; but there are, after all the emendations, many weak lines, and some strange appearances of negligence."

"His verfes are often infipid; but his memoirs are lively and agreeable; he had the perfpicuity and elegance of an hiftorian, but not the fire and fancy of a poet.'

GRANVILLE.

GRANVILLE.

EORGE GRANVILLE, or as others write Greenville or Grenville, afterwards Lord Landidown of Biddeford in the county of Devon, was born about 1667, the fon of Bernard Greenville, who was entrusted by Monk with the most private transactions of the Reftoration, and the grandfon of Sir Bevil Greenville, who died in the king's caufe, at the battle of Lanfdown.

Before the age of twelve he was fent to Cambridge, where he pronounced a copy of his own verses to the Princess Mary D'Efte of Modena, then Duchess of York, when the visited the University.

At the acceffion of King James, being only eighteen, he again exerted his poetical powers, and addressed the new monarch in three fhort pieces of not much merit. It was probably about this time that he wrote the "Poem to the Earl of Peterborough."

Through the whole reign of King William he is fuppofed to have lived in literary retirement, and indeed had for fome time few other pleasures but those of study in his power. He was the younger fon of a younger brother; a denomination by which our ancestors proverbially expreffed the lowest state of penury and dependance.

About this time he became enamoured of the Countefs of Newburgh, whom he has celebrated with fo much ardour by the name of Mira. In the time of his retirement it is probably that he compofed his dramatick pieces, the "She-Gallants" (acted 1696) which he revifed and called " Once a Lover and always a Lover," "The Jew of Venice" altered from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice (1701); " Heroick Love," a tragedy;

tragedy (1698); "The British Enchanters" (1706) a dramatick poem; and "Peleus and Thetis," a mafque, written to accompany "The Jew of Venice."

At the acceffion of Queen Anne, having his fortune improved by bequests from his father, and his uncle the Earl of Bathe, he was chosen into Parliament for Fowey. He foon after engaged in a joint translation of the "Invectives againft Philip," with a defign, furely weak and puerile, of turning the thunder of Demofthenes upon the head of Lewis.

He afterwards (in 1706) had his eftate augmented by an inheritance from his elder brother, Sir Bevil Granville, who died at fea. He continued to ferve in parliament, and in the ninth year of Queen Anne was chofen knight of the fhire for Cornwall.

At the memorable change of the miniftry (1710) he was made Secretary at War, in the place of Sir Robert Walpole.

Next year the violence of party made twelve peers in a day; Mr.Granville became Lord Landfdowne Baron Biddeford. Being high in the queen's favour, he (1712) was appointed Comptroller of the Household, and a Privy Counsellor; and to his other honours was added the dedication of Pope's "Windfor Foreft." He was advanced next year to be Treasurer of the Household.

Of these favours he foon loft all but his title; for at the acceffion of King George his place was given to the Earl Cholmondeley, and he was perfecuted with the reft of his party.---He was, after the infurrection in Scotland, feized September 26, 1715, as a fufpected man, and confined in the Tower till February 8, 1717, when he was at last released, and restored to his feat in Parliament.

Some time afterwards (about 1722) he went into foreign countries. In this ftate of leifure and retirement, he received the firft volume of Burnet's Hiftory, and answered fome calumnies in it levelled against

General

General Monk. His other hiftorical performance is a defence of his relation Sir Richard Greenville. These pieces were published at his return to England.

He was now kindly received at court by Queen Caroline; to whom and to the Princefs Anne he prefented his works elegantly bound, with verfes on the blank leaves, with which he concluded his poetical labours.

He died in Hanover Square, January 30, 1735, having a few days before buried his wife, the Lady Anne Villiers, widow to Mr. Thynne, by whom he had four daughters, but no fon.

"His works do not fhew him to have had much comprehenfion from nature or illumination from learning. He feems to have had no ambition above the imitation of Waller, of whom he has copied the faults, and very little more.

"His little pieces are feldom either fprightly or elegant, either keen or weighty. They are trifles written by idleness, and published by vanity. But his Prologues and Epilogues have a juft claim to praise.

"In his "British Enchanters" he has bidden defiance to all chronology, by confounding the inconfiftent manners of different ages; but the dialogue has often the air of Dryden's rhyming plays; and the fongs are lively, though not very correct. This is, I think, far the best of his works; for if it has many faults, it has likewife paffages, which are at least pretty, though they do not rife to any high degree of excellence."

1

N

ROWE.

TICHOLAS ROWE was born at Little Beckford in Bedfordshire in 1673. His family had long poffeffed a confiderable estate with a good house at

Lambertoun

Lambertoun in Devonshire. His father John Rowe, who was the first that quitted his paternal acres to practise any art of profit, profeffed the law, and publifhed "Barlow's and Dallifon's Reports" in the reign of James the fecond. He was made Serjeant, 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 of age chofen one of the King's Scholars. His exercises in feveral languages are faid to have been written with uncommon degrees of excellence, and yet to have coft him very little labour.

At fixteen he was entered a ftudent of the Middle Temple, but from the age of nineteen, the timę his father died, it is thought he fuffered 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 the more elegant parts of writing.

His next tragedy (1702) was "Tamerlane," in which, under the name of Tamerlane, he intended to characterise King William, and Lewis the fourteenth under that of Bajazet. This was the tragedy which Rowe valued most.

The Fair Penitent," his next production (1703), is one of the most pleasing tragedies on the ftage, where it ftill keeps its turn of appearing, and probably will long keep them, for there is icarcely any work of any poet at once fo interefting by the fable and fo delightful by the language.

As Dr. Johnfon particularly points out this play as one of the best on the English stage, we fhall make room for his entire criticism upon it.

"The story is domeftick, and therefore eafily received by the imagination and affimilated to common life; the diction is exquifitely harmonious, and soft or fprightly as occafion requires.

"The