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R O W 



lie was a man of bufinefs, and did not neglett thofe oppor- 

 tunities of entering into public life, which his reputation 

 and connections afforded. He had joined the Whig party, 

 and when the duke of Queenfberry was made fecretary of 

 Rate, he was appointed by that nobleman his under fecretary. 

 This poll he held about three years, when the duke died, and 

 his fervices were no more required during the reign of queen 

 Anne. It is faid he went, one day, to pay his court to 

 the lord-treafurer Oxford, who afked him if he underltood 

 the Spanifh language. He replied in the negative, but 

 added, that he did not doubt but he could make himfelf 

 mailer of it, fuppoling his lordfhip intended to give him em- 

 ployment at the court of Madrid. The earl feemed to ap- 

 prove his intention of Undying the language : Rowe took 

 his leave, and retired a few weeks or months to learn it, and 

 then waited on his lordfhip to acquaint him with what he had 

 done : " then, fir," replied the courtier, " I envy you the 

 pleafure of being able to read Don Quixote in the original," 

 and difmiffed him. On the accefiion of George I. the place of 

 poet laureat was conferred upon him, and he was alfo made one 

 of the land furveyors of the cuftoms of the port of London. 

 The prince of Wales conferred upon him the clerkfhip of his 

 council, and the lord chancellor Parker made him his fecre- 

 tary for the prefentations. The emoluments of thefe offices, 

 with his own fortune, enabled him to fupport a very refpec- 

 table ftation in fociety, but he did not live long to enjoy 

 thefe acceffions to his fortune. He died in 1728, at the age 

 of 45, and was interred among the poets in Weflminfler. 

 Abbey. Mr. Rowe was twice married, and had a fon by his 

 firft wife and a daughter by the fecond. He was ahandfome 

 and genteel man ; and his mind was as amiable as his perlon. 

 He lived beloved, and at his death was lamented by Pope, 

 in an epitaph which is to be found in Pope's works, though 

 it is not affixed on the monumental marble at Weflminfler. 

 Mr. Rowe is chiefly known to the public as a tragic poet ; if 

 he does not poflefs in a very high degree the principal parts 

 of tragic invention, fuch as the nice difcriminations of cha- 

 racter, and the fkilful developement and varied play of paf- 

 fion ; his diftion is poetical without being bombaflic or 

 affected, his verification is Angularly fweet, and his plays 

 abound with fentiments, given with fuch force and elegance 

 as are calculated to dwell upon the mind. In his Jane Shore 

 he profeffes to be the imitator of Shakfpeare, but nothing 

 can be more diffimilar than the mode and colour of writing 

 in the two poets, as nothing could be lefs refembling than 

 their genius. Mr. Rowe is well known alfo by his poetical 

 tranflations. He gave verfions of the Golden Verfes of 

 Pythagoras, and of the firft book of Quilkjt's " Callipaedia," 

 fee Quillet ; but his chief labour in this way was a tranf- 

 lation of Lucan's " Pharfalia," which was not publifhed 

 till 1728, ten years after the tranflator's death, and which 

 Dr. Johnfon calls " one of the greateft productions of 

 Englifh poetry ;" but if critically compared with the 

 original, it will be found frequently very diffufe. The 

 " Poetical Works" of Mr. Rowe, confining of his plays and 

 mifcellaneous poems, were publifhed collectively in three 

 vols. i2mo. in 1719; and his tranflation of the Pharfalia 

 was publifhed foon after his death, with a dedication to the 

 king by his widow. 



Rowe, in Geography, a townfiiip of America, in the 

 N.W. corner of Hampfhire county, Maffachufetts, bounded 

 N. by Vermont ; watered by Deerfield river, and containing 

 839 inhabitants ; 1 15 miles N.W. of Boflon. 



ROWEL, among Farriers, a kind of iffue, made by 

 drawing a fkain of filk, thread, hair, or the like, through 

 the nape of the neck, or other part of a horfe ; anfwering 

 to what iu furgery is called afeton. 



The Rowelling of Horfe s is a method of cure frequently 

 had recourfe to, in cafes of inward flrains, efpecially about 

 the (houlders or hips ; as alfo for hard fwellings not eafily 

 to be refolved. 



The operation is thus : a little flit being made through the 

 fkin, about a hand's breadth below the part aggrieved, big 

 enough to put a fwan's quill in ; the fkin is raifed from the 

 flefli, the end of the quill put in, and the fkin blowed from 

 the flefh upwards, and all over the fhoulder. 



Then the hole being flopped by the finger, the place blown 

 is beaten with a hazel (lick, and the wind fpread with the 

 hand all over, and then let go. 



This done, a fkain of horfe-hair, or red farfenet, half the 

 thicknefs of the little finger, is put in a rowelling needle 

 feven or eight inches long ; the needle is put into the hole, 

 and drawn through again fix or feven inches higher ; then 

 the needle is drawn out, and the two ends of the rowel tied 

 together ; anointing it every day, as well as before the putting 

 it in, with fweet butter and hog's greafe, and drawing it 

 backwards and forwards in the fkin, to make the putrid 

 matter difcharge itfelt more plentifully. 



Others, difliking thefe rowels, as making too great a fore 

 and fear, ufe the French rowel, which is a round piece of 

 itiff leather, with a hole in themidft, laying it flat between 

 the flefh and (kin, the hole of the rowel juil againil that in 

 the fkin ; fewing it with a needle and thread drawn through 

 the hole in the (kin ; cleaning it once in two or three days, 

 and then anointing it afrefh. 



Rowels of a Spur. See Spur. 



ROWEN, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 

 of Chrudim ; 10. miles S.E. of Chrudim. 



Rowex-7';'.v, in Hujbandry, a term improperly applied 

 to the mountain afh. 



ROWENSKO, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in 

 the circle of Boleflaw ; 6 miles S.E. of Turnau. 



ROWET, a name fometimes applied to rouen. See 

 Rouen. 



ROWETY-Wool, among wool-dealers, a term applied 

 to the young wool of feme forts of (heep, which rifes below 

 the old fleece. 



ROWING, is the aftion of impelling a boat or vefl'el 

 along the furface of the water by oars, which are managed 

 in a direction nearly horizontal. See Oar, Boat, &c. 

 RowiNG-GuarJ. See Guakd-2?oj/. 

 ROWLE, in a Ship, is a round piece of wood or iron, 

 in which the whip goes, being made to turn about, that it 

 may carry over the whip the eafier from fide to fide. 



ROWLEY, in Biography, a monk, who is faid to havr 

 flourifhed at Brillol in the 15th centurv, and whofe poems, 

 or thofe attributed to him, were publifhed, many years ago, 

 by the unfortunate Chattertox. See his article. 



Rowley, William, who Hands in the third clafs of 

 dramatic writers, lived in the reign of James I., and was 

 one of the company of players belonging to the prince ot 

 Wales. Little is known of him, except that he was in 

 clofe connection with all the principal wits and poetical 

 geniufes of that age, with fome of whom he joined in their 

 writings. By Wood he is ilyled " the ornament for wit 

 and ingenuity of Pembroke-hall, Cambridge." He was a 

 confiderable benefaftor to the Englifh flage, having left 

 five plays of his own competing, and lent his afliflance to 

 feveral authors in the compofition of many others. The 

 titles of all thefe are given in the Biographia Dramatica ; 

 which fee. 



Rowley, in Geography, a town of Hindoollan, in Oude ; 

 18 miles S. of Bahraitch. 



Rowley, a townfhip of America, in EfTex county, Maf- 



fachufetts ; 



