5. Cato of Utica, a Tragedy from M. Des Champs; acted at the Theatre
in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields 1716, dedicated to Count Volkra his Excellency
the Imperial Ambassador: to which is added a Parallel between this
Play and Mr. Addison's Cato.
Besides these, Mr. Ozell has translated all Moliere's plays, which are
printed in 6 vol. 12mo. and likewise a collection of some of the best
Spanish and Italian plays, from Calderon, Aretin, Ricci, and Lopez de
Vega. Whether any of these plays, translated from the Spanish, were
ever printed, we cannot be positive. Mr. Ozell's translation of
Moliere is far from being excellent, for Moliere was an author to
whom none, but a genius like himself, could well do justice. His other
works are
The History of Don Quixote, translated by several hands, published by
Peter Motteux; revised and compared with the best edition, printed at
Madrid, by Mr. Ozell, 5th edition, 1725.
Reflexions on Learning, by M. de Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray, made
English from the Paris Edition 12mo. 1718.
Common Prayer not Common Sense, in several Places of the Portugueze,
Spanish, Italian, French, Latin, and Greek Translations of the English
Liturgy; Being a Specimen of the Manifold Omissions, &c. in all, or
most of the said Translations, some of which were printed at Oxford,
and the rest at Cambridge, or London, 1722.
Vertot's Revolutions of Rome, translated by Mr. Ozell.
Logic, or the Art of Thinking; from the French of M. Nicole, 1723.
Mr. Ozell finished a Translation from the Portugueze, begun by Dr.
Geddes, of the most celebrated, popish, ecclesiastical Romance; being
the Life of Veronica of Milan, a book certified by the heads of
the university of Conimbra in Portugal, to be revised by the Angels,
and approved of by God.
* * * * *
These are the works of Mr. Ozell, who, if he did not possess any
genius, has not yet lived in, vain, for he has rendered into English
some very useful pieces, and if his translations are not elegant; they
are generally pretty just, and true to their original.
Mr. Ozell is severely touched by Mr. Pope in the first book of the
Dunciad, on what account we cannot determine; perhaps that satyrist
has only introduced him to grace the train of his Dunces. Ozell was
incensed to the last degree by this usage, and in a paper called The
Weekly Medley, September 1729, he published the following strange
Advertisement[B]. 'As to my learning, this envious wretch knew, and
every body knows, that the whole bench of bishops, not long ago, were
pleased to give me a purse of guineas for discovering the erroneous
translations of the Common Prayer in Portugueze, Spanish, French,
Italian, &c. As for my genius, let Mr. Cleland shew better verses in
all Pope's works, than Ozell's version of Boileau's Lutrin, which the
late lord Hallifax was so well pleased with, that he complimented
him with leave to dedicate it to him, &c. &c. Let him shew better
and truer poetry in The Rape of the Lock, than in Ozell's Rape of the
Bucket, which, because an ingenious author happened to mention in the
same breath with Pope's, viz.
'Let Ozell sing the Bucket, Pope the Lock,
'the little gentleman had like to have run mad; and Mr. Toland and Mr.
Gildon publicly declared Ozell's Translation of Homer to be, as it was
prior, so likewise superior, to Pope's.----Surely, surely, every man
is free to deserve well of his country!'
John Ozell.
This author died about the middle of October 1743, and was buried in
a vault of a church belonging to St. Mary Aldermanbury. He never
experienced any of the vicissitudes of fortune, which have been so
frequently the portion of his inspired brethren, for a person born in
the same county with him, and who owed particular obligations to his
family, left him a competent provision: besides, he had always enjoyed
good places. He was for some years auditor-general of the city and
Bridge accounts, and, to the time of his decease, auditor of the
accounts of St. Paul's Cathedral, and St. Thomas's Hospital. Though,
in reality, Ozell was a man of very little genius, yet Mr. Coxeter
asserts, that his conversation was surprizingly pleasing, and that he
had a pretty good knowledge of men and things. He possibly possessed
a large share of good nature, which, when joined with but a tolerable
understanding, will render the person, who is blessed with it, more
amiable, than the most flashy wit, and the highest genius without it.
[Footnote A: Jacob.]
[Footnote B: Notes on the Dunciad.]
End of the Fourth Volume.