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The Back Rhodes of Our Genealogy

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The Dictionary of national biography, Volume 16. By Stephen (Sir Leslie), Sir Sidney Lee, Robert Blake, Christine Stephanie Nicholls. Page 970.

Richard Rhodes (d. 1668), poet and dramatist, son of a gentleman in London, received his education at Westminster School, whence he was elected to a studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he matriculated on 31 July 1668. When he went to the university he was already ' well grounded in grammar and in the practical part of music.'

He graduated B.A. on 22 March 1661-2. Wood heard that he afterwards took a degree in physic at Montpelier. Subsequently he travelled in Spain, and died at Madrid in 1668.

He was the author of ' Flora's Vagaries ; ' a comedy, publicly acted by the students of Christ Church in their common refectory on 8 Jan. 1663-4, and in London at the Theatre Royal by his majesty's servants, the part of Flora being taken by ' Mrs. Ellen Gwm.' It was published anonymously at London in 1670, and again in 1677, 4to.

Rhodes is mentioned by Wood as one of the sixteen persons who, like himself, frequented the weekly meetings at the house of Mr. Ellis for the cultivation of the ' delightful facultie of musick,' and he is described as 'a junior student of Christ Church, a confident Westmonasterian, a violinist to hold between his knees.' His name is also handed down in the second part of an anonymous 'Session of the Poets' (stanza xli.):

Rhodes stood and play'd bo-peep in the door. But Apollo, instead of a Spanish plot,

On condition the varlet would never write more, Gave him three pence to pay for a pipe and a pot.

[Baker'sBiogr. Dram. 1812, i. 598, ii. 242 ; Dryden's Miseellany-Poeme,ii. 93 ; Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Welch's Alumni Westmon. (Phillimore); Wood's Athens Ozon. (Bliss), vol. i. p. xxxv, vol. iii. 819, Fasti, ii. 248.] T. C.

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