Bp. Robert Lowth

The son of a prebendary of Winchester, Robert Lowth was educated at New College (B.A. 1733, Fellow 1737, M.A. 1737, Professor of Poetry at Oxford 1741-51, D.D. by diploma, 1754). Lowth held a number of clerical positions before becoming archdeacon of Winchester (1750), prebendary of Durham (1755), Bishop of St. David's (1766), Bishop of Oxford (1766-77), and Bishop of London (1777); he declined the offer of the primacy. Lowth was a fellow classmate at Winchester and Oxford of Christopher Pitt, Glocester Ridley and Joseph Spence; he assisted John Nichols in choosing poems for the Select Collection of Poems (1780-84).

TEXT RECORDS:

1743The Judgment of Hercules, a Poem.
1746An Ode to the People of Great Britain. In imitation of the Sixth Ode of the Third Book of Horace.
1761[Untitled, "At length the gallant Navy from afar."]
1761[Untitled, "In blooming Majesty, and graceful State."]

PUBLICATIONS:

De sacre poesi Hebraeorum. 1753, trans. G. Gregory, 2 vols, 1787.
The genealogy of Christ ... A poem. 1729.
De sacra poesi Hebraeorum. 1753.
A sermon preached ... before the governors of the infirmary. 1757.
Life of William of Wykham. 1758.
A sermon preached at the visitation ... at Durham. 1758.
A letter to the Right Reverend Dr. Warburton. 1760.
A short introduction to English grammar. 1762.
A sermon preached at the assizes holden at Durham. 1764.
Letter to the Right Reverend author of the Divine legation [W. Warburton]. 1765.
A larger confutation of Bishop Hare's system of Hebrew meter. 1766.
The second part of a literary correspondence [between Lowth and Warburton]. 1766?
A sermon preached before the Lords. 1767.
A sermon preached before the governors of the Radcliffe infirmary. 1771.
A sermon preached before the Society for the propagation of the Gospels in foreign parts. 1771.
A sermon preached before the society... for promoting English Protestant working-schools in Ireland. 1773.
A sermon preached at the Chapel Royal of St. James Palace. 1779.
Isaiah. 1779.
A letter from the bishop of London to the clergy of his diocese. 1784.
Sermons, and other remains. 1834.
Twelve anniversary sermons. 1845.

PROFILE AND
ASSOCIATES:

English
Anglican

Winchester College
New College Oxford
Bachelor of Arts
Master of Arts
Doctor of Divinity
College Fellow
Dean of Winchester
Prebendary of Durham
Bishop of St. David's
Bishop of Oxford
Bishop of London
Fellow of the Royal Society

clergyman
professor
tutor
poet
essayist

The Museum
Gentleman's Magazine

Robert Dodsley
Rev. John Duncombe
Rev. Alexander Geddes
William Hayley
William Jackson of Exeter
Rev. James Merrick
William Julius Mickle
John Nichols
Rev. Charles Parrott
Rev. Christopher Pitt
Rev. Glocester Ridley
Christopher Smart
Rev. Joseph Spence
Rev. Joseph Warton
Rev. Thomas Warton
William Whitehead

REFERENCE:

DNB; NCBEL.

Robert Dodsley, Collection of Poems (1748-58); Pearch, Supplement to Dodsley's Collection (1768-83); "Biographical and Literary Anecdotes of Dr. Lowth" Westminster Magazine 7 (June 1779) 286-88; obituary in Gentleman's Magazine 57 (November 1787) 1028-30; "Lowth's Writings" Gentleman's Magazine 57 (December 1787) 1123-24; "Account of the Life and Writings of Dr. Robert Lowth" European Magazine 12 (November 1787) 359-65 [portrait]; "Memoirs of William Lowth" Universal Magazine 81 (November 1787) 225-32 [portrait]; "Memoirs of Dr. Lowth" New Lady's Magazine 2 (November 1787) 595-96; "Memoirs of Dr. Robert Lowth" New London Magazine 3 (November 1787) 596-98; Memoirs of the Life and Writings of ... Richard Lowth (1787); "Life of Dr. Robert Lowth" Walker's Hibernian Magazine (January 1788) 34-38; obituary in Annual Register for 1788 (1788) 1-4; Gentleman's Magazine 61 (1791) 981; L. L. "Lowth and Warburton" in Gentleman's Magazine 63 (December 1793) 1078-80; Michael Wodhull on Lowth and Warburton, Gentleman's Magazine 63 (December 1793) 1078-80, 64 (March 1794) 205-06; Bell's Fugitive Poetry (1789-97); Roach's Beauties of the Poets (1794); Robert Southey, Specimens of Later English Poets (1807); "Life of Bishop Lowth" Churchman's Magazine [New Haven] 6 (March-April 1809) 81-83; Alexander Chalmers, General Biographical Dictionary (1812-17); John Nichols, Literary Anecdotes (1812-15) 2:419-22n; Nichols, Illustrations of the Literary History of the XVIII Century (1817-58); Joseph Spence, Anecdotes (1820); Robert Watt, Bibliotheca Britannica (1824); George Barrell Cheever, "Lowth's Hebrew Poetry" North American Review [Boston] 31 (1830) 337-79; The Georgian Era: Memoirs of the most Eminent Persons (1832-34); Mr. Lowth, "Defence of Bishop Lowth" Gentleman's Magazine NS 2 (1834) 143-45; Peter Hall, "Bishop Lowth's Memoirs and Remains" Gentleman's Magazine NS 2 (1834) 254-56; Robert Chambers, Cyclopaedia of English Literature (1844); Allibone, Critical Dictionary of English Literature (1858-71; 1882); Charles J. Abbey, The English Church and its Bishops (1887) 2:211-13; Foster, Alumni Oxon (1887-91); Kirby, Westminster Scholars (1888); Moulton, Library of Literary Criticism (1901-05); Valentine, British Establishment (1970); Butt, OHEL (1979); Michael F. Suarez, ed., Dodsley, Collection of Poems (1997) 1:177-78.

COMMENTARY RECORDS
for Bp. Robert Lowth:

1.	1735 ca.  Christopher Pitt, "An Epistle to Mr. Robert Lowth" 1735 ca.; Magazine of Magazines 1 (November 1750) 456.
2.	1748  William Shenstone to Richard Jago, 14 February 1748; Works (1769) 3:151-52.
3.	1753  John Werge, in "Epistles on Several Subjects" Collection of Original Poems (1753) 285-86.
4.	1759  William Whitehead, "Verses to Dr. Lowth, on his second Edition of the Life of William of Wykeham" London Chronicle (2 June 1759) 423.
5.	1765  Elizabeth Montagu, 10 December 1765; Reginald Blunt, Mrs. Montagu, 1762-1800 (1923) 1:134.
6.	1765  Thomas Gray to William Mason, 1765; Works, ed. Gosse (1895) 3:224.
7.	1766  Joseph Warton to Thomas Warton, 22 January 1766; Wooll, Biographical Memoirs of Joseph Warton (1806) 312.
8.	1766 ca.  Samuel Pegge, 1766 ca; in Anonymiana, or Ten Centuries of Observations on various Authors and Subjects (1809) 138.
9.	1767  Samuel Johnson, 1767; Boswell, Life of Johnson (1791); ed. G. B. Hill (1891) 2:41-42.
10.	1772  Anonymous, in "Catalogue of the most celebrated Writers" Letters concerning the present State of England (1772) 382.
11.	1779  William Hayley, An Elegy on the Ancient Greek Model. Addressed to The Right Reverend Robert Lowth, Lord Bishop of London (1779) 3-17.
12.	1779  William Hayley to Thornton, 1779, Memoirs of William Hayley (1823) 1:182-83.
13.	1779  G. W., "On the Elegy on the ancient Greek Model, addressed to the Right Reverend Robert Lowth, Lord Bishop of London" St. James's Chronicle (24 July 1779).
14.	1779  Presbyter, "Answer to the Epigram by G. W. published in our Chronicle of July 24" St. James's Chronicle (12 August 1779).
15.	1779  J. W., "Learning, Genius, and Virtue: A Fable, humbly inscribed to the Lord Bishop of London" St. James's Chronicle (12 August 1779).
16.	1780  Anonymous, in "Poem on the ancient Greek Model addressed to the Right Reverend Robert Lowth" General Advertiser and Morning Intelligencer (17 January 1780).
17.	1782  Hannah More, in "Sensibility" Sacred Dramas (1782) 270.
18.	1782  William Cowper to William Unwin, 9 February 1782; Southey, Life and Works of Cowper (1835-37) 4:181-82.
19.	1784  Anonymous, "Britannia's Invocation to the Bishop of London" Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser (31 December 1784).
20.	1786  Poeticus, "Elegy addressed to the Bishop of London" Hibernian Magazine (July 1786) 383.
21.	1787  Clio, "Epitaph, on Dr. Lowth — late Bishop of London" The World (20 November 1787).
22.	1787  Anonymous, in "Memoirs of Lowth" Gentleman's Magazine 57 (December 1787) 1124.
23.	1787  Edmond Malone, 1790 ca.; Maloniana in Sir James Prior, Edmond Malone (1860) 415.
24.	1787  Anna Seward to George Gregory, 13 November 1787; Letters, ed. Scott (1811) 1:354-56.
25.	1798 ca.  Richard Hurd, "Warburton and Lowth" 1798 ca.; Commonplace Book in Kilvert, Memoir of the Life and Writings of Richard Hurd (1860) 249.
26.	1803  Thomas Clio Rickman, "Epitaph on Doctor Lowth, Bishop of London" Poetical Scraps (1803) 1:32.
27.	1804  Anonymous, "Lines inscribed on a Leaf of Lowth's Grammar, presented to a young Lady" Port Folio [Philadelphia] 4 (20 October 1804) 335.
28.	1807  Robert Southey, in Specimens of the Later English Poets (1807) 3:278.
29.	1824  Thomas Frognall Dibdin, in Library Companion (1824; 1825) 1:68n.
30.	1830  George Barrell Cheever, "Lowth's Hebrew Poetry" North American Review [Boston] 31 (1830) 370-71, 377-79.
31.	1887  Charles J. Abbey, in The English Church and its Bishops (1887) 2:211-13.

BIOGRAPHY RECORDS
for Bp. Robert Lowth:

1.	1787  Anonymous, "Life and Writings of Dr. Robert Lowth" European Magazine 12 (November 1787) 359-63.
2.	1787  Anonymous, Obituary in Gentleman's Magazine 57 (November 1787) 1028-30.
3.	1812  John Nichols, in Literary Anecdotes of the XVIII Century (1812-15) 2:419-21n.
4.	1812  Alexander Chalmers, in General Biographical Dictionary (1812-17) 20:424-32.
5.	1844  Robert Chambers, in Cyclopaedia of English Literature (1844; 1850) 2:216.

AUTHOR AS CRITIC:
(commentary records)

1.	1761  Rev. Thomas Warton:   Robert Lowth to Thomas Warton, 28 June 1761; Wooll, Biographical Memoirs of Joseph Warton (1806) 274.
2.	1765 ca.  Rev. James Merrick:   Robert Lowth, 1765 ca.; Allibone, Critical Dictionary of English Literature (1858-71; 1882) 2:1269.
3.	1768  Rev. Joseph Spence:   Robert Lowth, Inscription for Spence in Byfleet Church, 1768; Moulton, Library of Literary Criticism (1901-05) 3:519.
4.	1781  Hannah More:   Robert Lowth, "To Hannah More, from the Latin of Bishop Lowth, 1781" Gentleman's Magazine 100 (Supplement to Part II, 1830) 633.

AUTHOR AS CRITIC:
(biography records)

1.	1780  Rev. Glocester Ridley:   Robert Lowth, in John Nichols, Select Collection of Poems with Notes Biographical and Historical (1780-82) 8:74-78.
2.	1780  Rev. Joseph Spence:   Robert Lowth, in Nichols, Select Collection of Poems with Notes Biographical and Historical (1780-82) 8: 1-6n.