ROW 



populous of North Carolina, in Salifbury diftnft ; bounded 

 N. by Iredell, and S. by Cabarrus, and containing 21,543 

 inhabitants. ... 



ROWE, Elizabeth, in Biography, a lady greatly dil- 

 tinguifhed for her piety and poetical talents, was. daughter 

 of the Rev. Walter Singer, a diffenting minifter near Fromc, 

 in Somerfetfhire. Under the difgraceful reign of Charles II. 

 this gentleman was imprifoned on account of his non-con- 

 formity at Ilchefter, where he married, and where his daughter 

 Elizabeth was born in 1674. From her childhood fhe dil- 

 covered a paffion for reading, together with a devotional 

 turn of mind. At the age of twelve, (he began to write 

 verfes, and praftifed muiic and drawing. Her poetical 

 talents excited notice in the neighbourhood, and gave her an 

 introduction to lord vifcount Weymouth, by whofe fori, the 

 honourable Mr. Thynne, fhe was intruded in the French 

 and Italian languages. In her 22d year, at the requeft of 

 her friends, Ihepubhfhed a volume of mifcellaneous poems, 

 by which (lie is advantageoufly known. PollerTing an agree- 

 able perfon, and a large fhare of the accomplifhments of her 

 fex, (lie attra&ed the attentions of many admirers, but (he 

 appears to have been in no hurry to marry, and it was not 

 till 1 7 10 that (he gave her hand to Mr. Thomas Rowe, a 

 very amiable man, a fcholar, and a poet, with whom (lie 

 lived in the enjoyment of a large portion of conjugal felicity. 

 This happinefs was not '.ailing ; Mr. Rowe, who was of a 

 coniumptive habit, died at Hampftead in 17 15, and left Ins 

 widow overwhelmed with grief, which nothing but her fen- 

 timents of pious refignation could enable her to fupport. 

 From this time fhe palled her days, for the molt part, in re- 

 tirement at Frome, but making occafionalvifitsto the counters 

 of Hertford. Her manners and attainments rendered her 

 perfeaiy fuited to the bed company ; and though (he adhered 

 to the laft to the principles of the Difl'enters, fhe was entirely 

 free both from narrownefs of fentiment, and from any for- 

 bidding aullenty of behaviour. Mrs. Barbauld has, in a 

 few lines, given the manner in which (he employed herfelf, and 

 the perfons with whom (lie afi'ociated. 



" Yet in no ufelefs gloom (lie wore her days, 



She loved the work, and only (hunned the praife : 

 Her pious hand the poor, the mourner, bleft ; 

 Her imao-e lived in every kindred bread, 

 Thynne,°Carteret, Blaekmore, Orrery approved, 

 And Prior praifed, and noble Hertford loved. 

 Seraphic Kent), and tuneful Watts were thine, 

 And Virtue's uoblelt champions filled the line." 

 Mrs. Rowe compofed feveral works in her retreat, efpe- 

 cially thofe letters from the dead to the living, which her own 

 heavy lofs doubtkfs had fuggelted. She was blefled with a 

 good conftilution, and pafTed through life with very little 

 interruption of health. She died luddenly in February 

 1737, in the 63d year of her age. A pious book was found 

 lying' open by her, and in her cabinet were found letters to 

 feveral of her friends, which (he intended for them after her 

 death. Her works were, " The Hiftory of Jofeph," an 

 heroic poem; " Friendfhip in Death," &c. ; » Devoul 

 Exercifes of the Heart;" " Mifcellaneous Works" in 

 two volumes. Few charaders have been morejuftly eft( - 

 than that of Mrs. Rowe. Willi refpect to her pa 

 works, the general character is correct and melodious \ fifi 

 cation, flowing language, and tender elevated fentiments. 

 Among her profe compofitions the moll popular Was that 

 entitled'- Friendfhip in Death, in twenty Letters," fuppofed 

 to be written from the dead to the living. Thefe are 

 the works of a lively and a feeling heart, exercifed in pious 

 meditations, and they are always read with pleafureby the 



B O W 



young, and thofe who are fufceptible of good imprelfions. 

 They have palled through many editions, and are ufually 

 accompanied by other pieces of the author's of, a moral and 

 religious kind. All her writings, though not calculated to 

 Hand the tell of exact criticifm, infpire a favourable idea of 

 the writi r. 



Rowe, Thomas, the hufband of the foregoing, was the 

 fon of a diflenting minifter, who afforded him all the ad- 

 vantages of an excellent education, and he would probably 

 have become a diftinguifhed literary character, had not his 

 early marriage been followed by a premature death. He 

 wrote fome excellent pieces of poetry, one of which was a 

 tender ode to his wife, fome years after their marriage. 

 Hiftory was his favourite purfuit, and he formed a defign 

 of writing the lives of illullrious characters in antiquity, 

 omitted by Plutarch, of which eight were finiihed, and were 

 publifhed after his death. He died 111 1715, at the age of 

 28. Some of his original poems and tranflations were printed 

 with Mrs Rowe's "'Mifcellaneous Works." 



Rqwe, Nicholas, an eminent Englilh poet, the fon of 

 John Rowe, cfq. ferjeant at law, was born in 1673, at 

 Little Berkford, in Bedfordshire. After a preliminary edu- 

 cation at Highgate, he was placed in Weltminller (chool 

 under the noted Dr. Bufby, as a king's fcholar, and purfued 

 claffical (Indies with eagernefs and fuccefs. His poetical 

 exercifes in Latin and Greek were particularly admired. 

 He was removed from fchool at the age of 16, and entered 

 a (ludent in the Middle Temple, and proceeded fo far in the 

 purfuit of the law, as to be called to the bar ; but the death 

 of his father, when he was only 19, gave him liberty to 

 follow his own inclination, and he devoted himfelf to poetry 

 and polite literature. At the age of 25 he produced his 

 firft tragedy, entitled " The Ambitious Step-mother ;" the 

 (lory of which appears to be founded on that of Solomon 

 elevated to the throne by the machinations of his mother 

 Bathfheba, but the fcene and circumflances are totally dif- 

 ferent. It was acted at Lincoln's Inn-Fields, and was very 

 fuccefsful, which is faid to have rendered the author a decided 

 deferter from the law. His next dramatic work was " Ta- 

 merlane," which wasaded in 1702. This was intended to 

 convey important political impreflions : the tyrant and defpot 

 Bajazet being intended as the type of Lewis XIV., then 

 confidered as the enemy of liberty, civil and religious, and 

 the Tartar Tamerlane was metamorphofed into a perfect 

 prince, intended to characterize the immortal William III. 

 of England. In all the portraits there was much exaggera- 

 tion, but the purpofe of the piece, and its many elevated 

 and liberal fentiments, caufed it to be received with great 

 applaufe. It was frequently acted during that and the fol- 

 lowing reign, till the year 17 10, when different political opi- 

 nions coming into fafhion, it was for a time intermitted, but 

 the acceflion of the houfe of Hanover reftored it to the 

 ilage, and it was for a great number of years reprefented on 

 the anniverfary of king William's landing. In 1703, Mr. 



Rowe produced his «« Fair Penitent," u Inch IS thought to be 

 his moll linking piece; it is highly interefting, and abounds 

 with poetry and line fentiments. Mr. Rowe made an attempt 

 at comedy in 1706, but did not fucceed. From this time 

 to 1715, he brought out, in fucceflion, the tragedies of 

 « Ulyfles;" " The Royal Convert ;" "Jane Shore," and 

 " Lady Jane Gray." Of thefe, the two lail have formed 

 on the ilage. Jane Shotv is now OCCaflOnally acted ; always 



when performed engages fome of the bed actors, and never 



fails to be viewed With the dccpcll iiit.-rcll. During tins in- 

 terval he appeared as an editor of ' ' pl»78, pre- 

 fixing to tins edition an account of the life ol that traulr. ndant 



iremus. Rowe was not exclusively engaged in literary purfuits, 



b 4 M 2 he 



