It seems 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 Shakfpeare and Jonfon, as he shared likewise some of their excellencies. It feems 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 readiness 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 supposed to want; or that the attention of the poet and the player have been differently employed; the one has been confidering thought, and

the

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 such 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 first reception, was, upon its revival at Drury-lane in 1749, hiffed off the stage 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 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 VOL. I.

Z

his

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 fondness 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 dif miffed again to their own narrow circumftances. Thus they languished in poverty without the Support 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 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 so amply had fill❜d, That his mange was quite cur'd, and his lice

were all kill'd.

But Apollo had seen his face on the stage,
And prudently did not think fit to engage
The fcum of a play-house, for the prop

age.

of an

Don Carlos, from which he is represented as having received fo much benefit, was played in 1675. It appears, by the Lampoon, to have had great fuccefs, and is said 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 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.

4

The Orphan was exhibited in 1680. This is one of the few plays that keep poffeffion of the stage, and has pleafed 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

Z 2

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

many

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

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 last and greatest dramatick work, Venice preferved, 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 this with his Orphan, it will appear that his images were by time become stronger, and his language more energetick. The ftriking paffages are in every mouth; and the publick feems to judge rightly of the faults and excellencies

of