LOWTH, Romenm, D.D., an English prelate, son of the rev. William. Lowth, rector of )3uriton, in Hampshire, was b. Nov. 27, 1710. He was educated at Winchester school, whence, with a reputation both as a scholar and poet, he passed to New college, Oxford, in 1730. Here he continued to distinguish himself, took his degree of 11.A. in 1737, and only four years after, was appointed professor of poetry. In 1750 bishop Hoadley con ferred on him the archdeaconry of Winthester, and in 1753 the rectory of East Wood hay, in Hampshire. During the same year, he published in Latin his excellent Lectures on Hebrew Poetry (De Sacra Foal Hebraorum Prcelectiones Academicce). It was greatly admired both in England and on the continent, where the celebrated Michaelis repub lished it with notes and emendations. These were incorporated by Lowth himself in a second edition, 1763. A new edition was published by Rosenmilller (Lcip. 1815). In
1754 Lowth received from the university of Oxford the degree of D.D., became prebend ary of Durham and rector of Sedgefield in 1755, a fellow of the royal societies of Lon don and Gottingen in 1765, bishop of St. Davids in 1766, of Oxford a few months after, of London in 1777, and died Nov. 3. 1787. Besides his lectures, his two principal works are Life of 'William of Wykeham (1758) and Isaiah, a New Translation, with a Preliminary Dissertation, and Notes, Oritical Philological, and Explanatory (1778; German edition, by Koppe, GIRL 1779; third edition in English, 1842); a work rattier too elegant and ornate as a version, but of great value as a means of correcting the numerous blunders of the " authorized version," and of exhibiting how thoroughly literary and artistic is that sec tion of Hebrew poetry which we call prophecy.