ROGERS, Samna, English poet: b. Stoke Newington, London, 30 July 1763; d. London, 18 Dec. 1855. After attendance at private school he entered the Rogers banking estab lishment as a clerk, but his favorite pursuits were poetry and general literature. In 1786 he printed anonymously 'An Ode to Superstition, ry with Seale Other. Poems.) His (Pleasures a Memo,) with which his name is principally identified, appeared in 1792. It is a carefully finished, graceful production, but somewhat deficient in force and vigor, and though every one is familiar with the name, the of Memory' is a poem that at the present day is comparatively little read. It was received with unbounded applause, while the reputation of the author was still further confirmed by the publi cation in 1798 of 'An Epistle to a Friend and other He now built the celebrated house in Saint James' street, Westminster, long made the centre of intellectual society, which he had in part decorated by Stothard and Flax man and which was filled with antiques, books and art-works, all selected in admirable taste. It ought also to be recorded that, though of great brusqueness and bitter of tongue, no i man was more generous in relieving distress or assisting struggling genius; and Sheridan, Moore, Campbell and others were all indebted at different times to his generosity. He pub lished in 1810 his poem 'Columbus,' which was severely handled by the Quarterly Review and met with little success. 'Jacqueline, a Tale,' appeared in 1814, in the same volume with Lord Byron's The same year he visited Paris, extending his tour to Italy and remain ing abroad for several years. On his return in
1819 he published the poem 'Human Life,' and in 1822 appeared the first part of his 'Italy,' a series of poems descriptive of the scenery and antiquities of that country, and perhaps the finest of all his works. Continuations of it followed at successive intervals and a complete edition in 1830, beautifully illustrated by Prout, Stothard and Turner, which, with an illustrated edition of his other poems, composes two octavo volumes, was issued at a large expense to the author. It proved, however, a remunerative speculation. In 1850 Rogers was offered the laureateship vacated by the death of Words worth, hut declined the appointment, which was bestowed on Tennyson. His unique collection of works of art was disposed of by auction after his death. Rogers' long life saw many literary changes, from the times of Goldsmith and Johnson to those of Thackeray and Dick ens. He was a kind of English "autocrat of the breakfast table,' famous for his anecdotes and bon-mots, and his discussions of politics and art. He was certainly a representative, though among the less prominent, of a brilliant period of English poetry, with him care and taste serving for genius. A volume of his Talk' was published by Alexander Dyce (1860). Consult Clayden, Life of Semi. uel Rogers' (1887) and and His Con temporaries' (1889). The correspondence, journals and memoirs of the earlier 19th cen• tury abound in references to him.