It is allowed by the fevereft enemies of this nobleman, that he had a great fhare of vivacity, and quickness of parts, which were particularly turned to ridicule; but while he has been celebrated as a wit, all men are filent as to other virtues, for it is no where recorded, that he ever performed one generous difinterefted action in his whole life; he relieved no diftreffed merit; he never shared the bleffing of the widow and fatherlefs, and as he lived a profligate, he died in mifery, a by-word and a jeft, unpitied and unmourned.

He died April 16, 1687, Mr. Wood fays, at his house in Yorkshire, but Mr. Pope informs us, that he died at an inn in that county, in very mean circumstances. In his Epiftle to lord Bathurit, he draws the following affecting picture of this man, who had poffeffed an eftate of near 50,000l. per annum, expiring,

In the worst inn's worft room, with mat half hung
The floors of plaifter, and the walls of dung,
On once a flock-bed, but repair'd with straw,
With tape-ty'd curtains, never meant to draw,
The George and Garter dangling from that bed,
Where tawdry yellow, ftrove with dirty red,
Great Villiers lies--alas! how chang'd from him
That life of pleasure, and that foul of whim!
Gallant and gay, in Cliveden's proud alcove,
The bow'r of wanton Shrewsbury * and love;
Or just as gay in council, in a ring

Of mimick'd statesmen and their merry king.
No wit to flatter left of all his ftore!

No fool to laugh at, which he valued more;
There, victor of his health, of fortune, friends,
And fame, this lord of useless thousands ends.

* The countess of Shrewsbury, a woman abandoned to gallantries. The earl her husband was killed by the duke of Buckingham; and it has been faid that, during the combat, fhe held the duke's horfes in the habit of a page.

His grace's fate, fage Cutler could foresee,
And well (he thought) advised him, 'live like me.'
As well, his grace replied, like you, Sir John!
That I can do, when all I have is gone :'

.

Befides the celebrated Comedy of the Rehearfal, the duke wrote the following pieces;

1. An Epitaph on Thomas, Lord Fairfax, which has been often reprinted.

2. A Short Difcourfe upon the Reasonableness of Men's having a Religion or Worship of God. This Piece met with mány Anfwers, to which the Duke wrote Replies.

3. A Demonftration of the above Duty.

4. Several Poems, particularly, Advice to a Painter to draw my Lord Arlington. Timon, a Satire on feveral Plays, in which he was affifted by the Earl of Rochefter; a Confolatory Epistle to Julian Secretary to the Mufes; upon the Monument; upon the Inftallment of the Duke of New. caftle; the Rump-Parliament, a Satire; the Miftrefs; the Loft Mitrefs; a Defcription of For

tune.

5. Several Speeches.

MATTHEW SMITH, Efquire.

The following Account of this Gentleman came to our Hands too late to be inferted in the Chronological Series.

TH

HIS gentleman was the fon of John Smith, an eminent Merchant at Knaresborough in the county of York, and defcended from an ancient family of that name, feated at West-Herring

ton and Moreton Houfe in the county_pal. of Durham. Vide Philpot's Vifitation of Durham, in the Heralds Office, page 141.

He was a Barrister at Law, of the Inner-Temple, and appointed one of the council in the North, the fifteenth of King Charles I. he being a Loyalift, and in great efteem for his eminence and learning in his profeffion; as ftill further ap pears by his valuable Annotations on Littleton's Tenures he left behind him in manufcript. He alfo wrote fome pieces of poetry, and is the author of two dramatical performances.

1. The Country Squire, 'or the Merry Mountebank, a Ballad Opera of one A&t.

2. The Masquerade du Ciel, a Masque, which was published the year that he died, 1645, by John Smith of Knaresborough, Efq; (eldeft fon and heir to this Matthew, by Anne his wife, daughter of Henry Roundell, efq; who dedicated it to the Queen. He was a perfon of the greatest loyalty, and very early addicted to arms, which made him extreamly zealous and active during the civil wars, in joining with the Royalifts, particularly at the battle of Marfton-Moor 1644, when he perfonally ferved under Prince Rupert, for which he and his family were plundered and fequeftered. He also fined twice for Sheriff, to avoid the oaths impofed in those days.

TH

THOMAS OTWAY.

HIS excellent poet was not more remarkable for moving the tender paffions, than for the variety of fortune, to which he was fubjected. We have fome where read an observation,

that

that the poets have ever been the leaft philofophers, and were always unhappy in a want of firmnefs of temper, and fteadiness of refolution: of the truth of this remark, poor Mr. Otway is a lively inftance; he never could fufficiently combat his appetite of extravagance and profufion, to live one year in a comfortable competence, but was either rioting in luxurious indulgence, or fhivering with want, and expofed to the infolence and contempt of the world. He was the fon of Mr. Humphry Otway, rector of Wolbeding in Suffex, and was born at Trottin in that county, on March 3, 1651. He received his education at Wickeham fchool, near Winchester, and became a commoner of Chrift Church in Oxford, in the beginning of the year 1669. He quitted the univerfity without a degree, and retired to London, though, in the opinion of fome hiftorians, he went afterwards to Cambridge, which feems very probable, from a copy of verfes of Mr. Duke's to him, between whom fubfifted a fincere friendship till the death of Mr. Otway. When our poet came to London, the first account we hear of him, is, that he commenced player, but without fuccefs, for he is faid to have failed in want of execution, which is fo material to a good player, that a tolerable execution, with advantage of a good perfon, will often supply the place of judgment, in which it is not to be fuppofed Otway was deficient.

Though his fuccefs as an actor was but indifferent, yet he gained upon the world by the sprightlinefs of his converfation, and the acuteness of his wit, which, it seems, gained him the favour of Charles Fitz Charles, earl of Plymouth, one of the natural fons of King Charles II. who procured him a cornet's Pommiffion in the new raised English forces defigned for Flanders. All who have written of Mr. Otway obferve, that he returned from Flanders in very neceffitous circum

stances,

ftances, but give no account how that reverse of fortune happened: it is not natural to suppose that it proceeded from actual cowardice, or that Mr. Otway had drawn down any difgrace upon himfelf by misbehaviour in a military station. If this had been the cafe, he wanted not enemies who would have improved the circumftance, and recorded it against him, with a malicious fatisfaction; but if it did not proceed from actual cow. ardice, yet we have some reason to conjecture, that Mr. Otway felt a strong difinclination to a military life, perhaps from a confcioufnefs that his heart failed him, and, a dread of misbehaving, fhould he ever be called to an engagement; and to avoid the fhame of which he was apprehenfive in confequence of fuch behaviour, he, in all probability, refigned his commiffion, which could not but difoblige the earl of Plymouth, and expofe him. felf to neceffity. What pity is it, that he who could put fuch mafculine ftrong fentiments into the mouth of fuch a refolute hero as his own Pierre, fhould himself fail in perfonal courage, but this quality nature withheld from him, and he exchanged the chance of reaping laurels in the field of victory, for the equally uncertain, and more barren laurels of poetry. The earl of Rochester, in his Seffion of the Poets, has thus maliciously recorded, and without the leaft grain of wit, the deplorable circumftances of Otway.

Tom Otway came next, Tom Shadwell's dear
Zany,

And fwears for heroics he writes beft of any;
Don Carlos his pockets fo amply had filled,
That his mange was quite cured, and his lice
were all killed.

But Apollo had feen his face on the ftage,
And prudently did not think fit to engage.
The fcum of a playhouse, for the prop of an age.

Mr.