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London, where, in order to gain his living, he acted on the stage aud began to write for the theatre. His first tragedy„Alcibiades“ is dated from the year 1675. Soon after, in 1677, we find him in Flanders, whither, raised to the dignity of a cornet of dragoons by the particular favour of the Earl of Plymouth, he had marched with the English troops. But he remained there only a short time; for in the following year he was cashiered, in consequence of bis irregularities. Returning to London, he resumed writing for the stage. The short, eventful life of Otway, was prematurely closed in 1685; but we do not exactly know the circumstances in which he perished. There are different reports about it; the most known and most general of them, mentioned also by Macaulay, is that he fell a victim to his dog-hunger by hastily swallowing a piece of bread which charity had supplied, after a long fast. According to another account, he died of fever, occasioned by fatigue, or by drinking water when violently heated. From such circumstances may be concluded, whatever was the immediate cause of his death, that our poet lived at the time in great poverty.

Within the time of his literary activity, from 1675 to his death, Otway wrote ten plays; the most celebrated of which is„Venice preserved.“ In this play he has, in some passages at least, closely followed St. Real’s history of the Venetian conspiracy of 1618. His other pieces, too, are more or less borrowed from foreign authors. But it has never been blamed that he has, as it is, plagiarized, like all poets of his time. Mr. Langbaine says:„He(Otway) was a Man of excellent Parts, though he sometimes fell into Plagiarism, as well as others of his Contemporar- ies.... Otway's abilities and attainments were so considerable, that he was often praised by his contemporaries as the most eminent tragic writer of the seventeenth century; and, indeed, he is a perfect master of the tragic passions, and his talents in scenes of passionate affection rival sometimes those of Shakspeare, says Sir Walter Scott, and his genius shines in his delineation of the passions of the heart, the ardour of love, and the excess of misery and despair. The versi- fleation of his dramas is sometimes rugged and irregular, and there are occasional redundancies and improper expressions, which a more correct taste would have expunged.

After these short sketches of the time in which Otway lived, of his life and literary activity, we shall now turn to the research of his tragedy„Titus and Berenice.“ It consists of three acts and has been formed after the tragedy„Bérénice“ written by the French author Ra- eine; and it will not be difficult to compare these two works, after I shall have given a short analysis of the former.

Antiochus, king of Comagene, loves the fair Berenice, queen of Palestine, and has followed her to Rome, where the emperor Titus Vespasianus has intercourse with her. By favouring his love she destroys all hopes of Antiochus, who, though incited by his confident Arsaces to change his friendship to Berenice into hatred, notwithstanding praises her and will be very glad, if she would but pity him. When Rutilius, whom he had sent so Berenice, returns and tells him that Titus is going to raise her to the dignity of a Roman empress this very day, Antiochus, much confounded at this news, will not believe it, and, burning with expectation, asks the messenger if he may see her. At the same time Berenice enters rejoiced, as she says, at being freed from the new friends whose words did not reflect the real feelings of their hearts. She deplores that Antiochus, her best aud truest friend she found in her worst fate, grows more and more unkind to her; she paints to him the love and faith of Titus, confirmed by two thousand