ROSCIAD, roshlud (from Lat. Roscius, name of a famous Roman comedian). The. A satire in verse by Charles Churchill (1761) on the London actors of that day. All but Garrick, Mrs. Pritchard. Mrs. Cibber, and Mrs. Clive were severely handled.
ROS'CIUS, Quintus (?-b.c. 62). The greatest comedian in ancient Rome. He was born at Solonium, a village near Lanuvium. Many of the Roman aristocracy befriended him, and the dictator Sulla, as a token of favor, presented him with a gold ring, the symbol of the equestrian order. Among his most admiring and affectionate patrons Roscius also numbered Cicero, who, at the commencement of his career, received lessons in the art of elocution from the great comedian. So sensible was Roscius of the distinction he enjoyed in sharing the intimacy of the great orator, that he came to look upon his art as one of no small importance and dignity, and wrote a treatise on the comparative methods and merits of eloquence and acting. Cicero's friendship was of use to him in another way, for on his being sued at law by C. Fannius Chærea for the sum of 50,000 sesterces (about $2000), Cicero defended him before the judex Piso (probably B.C. 68) in his extant oration Pro Q. Roscio Comœdo. He died B.C. 62.
ROS'COE, Sir Henry Enfield (1833—). An English chemist, born in London, grandson of William Roscoe, the historian. He studied at the University of London and at Heidelberg, where, in association with Bunsen, he published several memoirs on chemical subjects. He was made professor of chemistry in Owens College, "Manchester, in 18.58, and Fellow of the Royal Society in 1803. He was one of the first to make exact measurements of the chemical action of light; for this and other valuable scientific achievement, he received, in 1873, the Royal Medal of the London Society. In 1896 he was made vice-chancellor of the University of London. Dr. Roscoe's published works include: a text-book entitled. Lessons in Elementary Chemistry, which has passed through many editions and been translated into several foreign languages; Lectures on Spectrum Analysis (1869; 4th ed. 1885); John Dalton and the Rise of Modern Chemistry (1895), etc. Jointly with Schorlemmer he published an exhaustive Treatise on Chemistry in 8 volumes (1877-98 and a later edition). He was one of the editors of Macmillan's series of Science Primers and himself wrote the Primer of Chemistry.
ROSCOE, William (1753-1831). An English historian, born near Liverpool. In 1709 he entered the office of a Liverpool attorney, and in 1774 he began the practice of law. Meanwhile he diligently studied the classics and the Italian language and literature. In 1777 he published a collection of his verse, containing the first protest against the slave-trade, of which, throughout his life, he was a strenuous opponent. In 1790 was published the first volume of his Life of Lorenzo de' Medici, Called the Magnificent. This work proved very popular; several English editions appeared, and it was translated into German, French, and Italian. In 1805 appeared his second great work, the Life and Pontificate of Leo X. This work was received with much commendation, though its tone and spirit, especially with reference to the Reformation, was severely criticised. During the later years of his life he devoted himself much to the study of botany, and in honor of him a rare genus of monandrian plants received in 1826 the name Roscoea. Consult Henry Roscoe, Life of William Roscoe (London, 1833).
ROSCOE, William Caldwell (1823-59). An English poet and essayist. He graduated from the University of London (1843) and was called to the bar (1850). Owing to ill health, he soon retired to Wales, but he kept up his literary connection in London. His critical essays were written mostly for the National Recieic, edited by his brother-in-law, R. H. Hutton. They are still of interest. After experimenting with a drama called Eliduc (1846), founded on a lai of Marie de France, Roscoe produced a fine study in Elizabethan tragedy, VioteH^i'a (1851), and wrote considerable occasional verse, some of which is beautiful. His finest powers are seen in the sonnet "To My Mother." Consult his Poems and Essays, with memoir by Hutton (London, 1860), and the reissue of the poems by his daughter, Elizabeth M. Roscoe (ib., 1891).
ROSCOM'MON. An inland county of Connaught, Ireland, bounded on the east by the river Shannon (Map: Ireland, C 3). Area, 949 square miles. The surface, which belongs to the central plains of Ireland, is level, with undulations rising in the south and on the north. The principal rivers are the Shannon (q.v.) and the Suck. The soil is fertile in the central district, which is known as the "plain of Boyle' and which is celebrated for its sheep. Some portions produce good cereal crops; but the chief industry of the Roscommon farming population is the feeding of sheep and cattle, especially the former. The capital is Roscommon (q.v.). Population, in 1841. 254,550; in 1851, 174,570; in 1891, 116,552; in 1901, 101,640.
ROSCOMMON. The capital and assize town of Roscommon County. Ireland, 161⁄2 miles west-southwest of Longford (Map: Ireland, C 3). Population, in 1901, 1891.
ROSCOMMON, Wentworth Dillon, fourth Earl of (c. 1633-85). An Irish poet. He was born in Ireland and was the son of the third Earl of Roscommon and nephew of the Earl of Strafford. After the impeachment of his uncle he was sent to Caen. Normandy, where he was educated at the Protestant university. After the Restoration he held various Court positions, married a daughter of the Earl of Burlington, and devoted himself to literature. His works, commended by Johnson, and praised by Pope as the only pure writings of a dissolute reign, include an Essay on Translated Verse (1660); Horace's Art of Poetry Translated into English Blank Verse (1684); paraphrases of various psalms: a translation of Dies Iræ, and a collection of prologues and epilogues to plays. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
ROSE (AS. rose, from Lat. rosa, from Gk. pASox, rhodon, JEollc ppiSov, hrodon. rose; connected with Av. raro da. plant, Pahlavi varta-, Pers. gul. rose), Rosa. The popular name for a genus of plants of the natural order Rosacea;, consisting of more or less erect climbing or trailing woody shrubs with odd-pinnate leaves. The flowers, borne solitary or in
