712 L O W T H. 
4to. Intheyear 1711, fomeproteftantdiffenters having built 
a new meeting-houfe in the town of Petersfield, Mr. Lowth 
thought it incumbent upon him to preach a fermon, in¬ 
tended to confirm his parifhioners in their communion with 
the church of England ; and, at the requeft of feveral of 
his friends, he was induced to publifh it. This difcourfe 
was entitled, “The Characters of an Apoftolical Church 
fulfilled in the Church of England ; and our Obligations 
to continue in the Communion Of it.” The publication 
of this fermon foon produced “Remarks” on it, in a let¬ 
ter to the author, “ in which his Characters of an Apof¬ 
tolical Church are confidered ; the Diffenters’ Right to 
them is aflerted and maintained; their Miniliers’ Call and 
Ordinationdefended ; theirpublic Worfhip vindicated ; and 
Air, Lowth’s Reflections on them and their Affemblies 
proved to be unjuft and groundlefs.” Thefe Remarks were 
written by Mr. John Norman, a diffenting minifler at 
Portfmouth. Mr. Lowth foon publifhed An Anfwer to 
Mr. Norman’s Remarks; which that gentleman defended 
in another pamphlet. To this defence Mr. Lowth made 
no other reply, than in a private letter to his antagonilt; 
being determined to quit the field of controverfy, that he 
might have leifure for profecuting his exegetical labours. 
In 1733, he publifhed his “Commentary on the Prophet 
Ezekiel;” and in 1726, that on Daniel,and the minor pro¬ 
phets. Thefe truly learned and valuable iliuftrations of 
the prophetical writings were afterwards republifhed to¬ 
gether, with additions, in one volume folio, as a conti¬ 
nuation of Bifliop Patrick’s Commentary on the other 
parts of the Old Teftament; in which form they have un¬ 
dergone repeated impreffions. 
Mr. Lowth’s labours appear to have been chiefly con¬ 
fined within his province as a divine. Yet, to acquit liim- 
felf the better in that character, he had taken anextenfive 
range in his ftudies. There is fcarcely any ancient author, 
whether Latin or Greek, profane or ecclefiaftical, efpeci- 
ally the latter, but what he had read with critical accu¬ 
racy. While reading, it was his cultom to make marginal 
remarks relating to criticifin and philology, or to enter 
his obfervations in his adverfaria ; and of his collections 
in this way, he was upon all occafions extremely com¬ 
municative. He furnifhed Dr. Potter, afterwards archbi- 
fhop of Canterbury, with notes on Clemens Alexandrinus, 
which were publifhed, with the author’s name to each, in 
the doctor’s edition of that father. He communicated to 
Dr. Hudfon remarks on Jofephus, of which that editor 
availed himfelf, and acknowledged his obligations in the 
preface to his edition of the Jewilh hiftorian. To him 
Mr. Reading was indebted for numerous annotations, with 
which he enriched his edition of the Ecclefiaftical Hiftori- 
ans, publifhed at Cambridge in 1720 ; and the author of 
the Bibliotheca Biblica received from him the fame kind 
of afliftance, as we are informed in the preface to the lall 
pofthbrnous volume. The learned Dr. Chandler, biibop 
of Durham, while he was engaged in writing his Defence 
of Chriltianity, and his Vindication of the fame, main¬ 
tained a conltant correfpondence with Mr, Lowth, and 
confulted him upon many difficulties which occurred in 
the courfe of that undertaking. But we lhould not do 
jufiiee to Mr, Lowth’s character, if we did not add, that 
the molt valuable part of it was what was leait apparent 
to the eyes of tb< world ; the private and retired part, that 
of the good Chriitian, and the ufeful parifh-prieft. His 
unaff.Cted piety, his moil exemplary life, his zeal and di¬ 
ligence in the dii'charge of the paftoral functions, his hos¬ 
pitality, and the readiheis with which he embraced every 
opportunity of being lerviceable to his parifhioners; thefe 
were features by which he was eminently diiiinguifhed. 
Mr. Lowth died in 1732,111 the feventy-firft year of his age. 
LOW'TH (Robert), ion of the preceding, and an or¬ 
nament to the church of England, of which he was an 
eminent prelate, was hern at Winchefter, in the year 1710. 
lie was educated in grammar-learning at the celebrated 
ieaiinary in.that place, founded by William of Wykeham, 
in which he acquired an accurate knowledge of the Greek 
and Roman claffics, and made no little progrefs in orien¬ 
tal literature. While here, his poetical genius difeovered 
itfelf in the compofitions on which he employed himfelf 
during his hours of relaxation from his claffical purfuits ; 
one of which was a beautiful poem On the Genealogy of 
Chrift, as it is reprefented on the eaft window of Winchef- 
ter-college chapel; and is inferted in Pearch’s collection; 
and another, which appeared in the twenty-third volume 
of the Gentleman’s Magazine, celebrated Catharine Hill, 
the place where the Winchefter fcholars are allowed toplay 
on holidays. In his eighteenth year, Mr. Lowth was fent 
to New College, where he difiinguifhed himfelf by the 
afliduity with which he applied to his ftudies, his un¬ 
common acquifrtions in learning, his regular and vir¬ 
tuous conduit, and his amiable manners. Of this initi¬ 
ation he was elected a fellow in 1734. In 1737 he pro¬ 
ceeded M. A. and in 1741 was elected profeffor of poe¬ 
try in the univerfity of Oxford. While difeharging the 
duties of this office, he delivered his excellent prelections 
on Hebrew poetry, which, as we (hall fee, he afterwards 
fent to the prefs. The firft preferment which he obtained 
in the church, was the rectory of Ovington in Hampfhire, 
to which he was prefented by bifliop Hoadly in the year 
1744. In 1748, Mr. Lowth accompanied to Beilin Mr. 
Legge, afterwards chancellor of the exchequer, who went 
to that court in a public character; and with whom, from 
his earlieft years, he lived on terms of the molt intimate 
and uninterrupted friendfhip. In the following year the 
duke of Devonfhire engaged him to attend his Ions, lord 
George and lord Frederic Cavendifh in the capacity of 
tutor, during their travels on the continent; and was fo 
well. Satisfied with the manner in which he conduced him¬ 
felf in this employment, that he ever afterwards proved 
the fteady friend and patron of our divine. Bifhop Hoadly, 
too, gave frefli proofs of his regard for Mr. Lowth’s cha¬ 
racter and merits, in the year 1750, by appointing him 
archdeacon of Winchefter; and, three years afterwards, by 
prefen ting him to the reCtory of Eaft Wood hay, in the county 
of Southampton. In 1752,he married Mary,daughter of Law¬ 
rence Jackfon, efq. of Chrift Church, in that county; with 
whom he lived in much conjugal felicity,and who proved the 
mother of feven children, two of whom only furvived their 
father. In 1753, he gave to the public his Defacra Poefi 
Hebraorum PralcEliones Academica, in 4to. of which a new 
edition, corrected and enlarged, appeared in 1763, in 2 
vols. 8vo. The fecond volume confifts of the preface, 
notes, and additions, to this work, in the Gottingen edition, 
publifhed under the infpeCtion of the learned and inge¬ 
nious Michaelis, profeffor of phiiofophy in that univerfity, 
and greatly improved and illuftrated by him. Of this 
work, to which the duties of the author’s profefforfliip gave 
occafion, it would not be eafy to fpeak in too high terms 
of praife. For, though it is entitled only Lectures on the 
Hebrew Poetry, it will be found an excellent compendium 
of all the beft rules of tafte, and of all the principles of 
compofition, illuitrated by the boldeft and molt exalted 
fpecimens of genius (if no higher title be allowed them) 
which antiquity has tranfmitted to us; and which have 
hitherto ieldom fallen under the infpeCtion of rational cri- 
ticilm. But thefe leCtures teach us not only tafte, but 
virtue; not only to admire and revere the Scriptures, but 
to profit by their precepts. The author has penetrated 
into the very fanCtuaries of Hebrew literature ; he has in¬ 
vestigated, with a degree of precifion which few critics 
have attained, the very nature ar.d character of their com- 
pofition ; by accurately examining, and cantioufly com¬ 
paring, every part of the facred writings; l}y a force of ge¬ 
nius, which could enter into the very delign of the au¬ 
thors; and by a comprehenfiv nefs of mind, which could 
embrace at a fingie view a vaft '.cries of correfpoading paf- 
fages; he has difeove: ed i he manner, the fpirit, :he idiom, 
of the original; and has laid down fuels axioms as cannot 
fail to facilitate our knowledge and underltanding of the 
feriptures. 
