Otway
THOMAS, an English dramatist; born in Trotton, Sussex, in 1652; educated at Winchester, and at Christ Church, Oxford; served as cornet in the Low Countries; was an unsuccessful actor, and finally wrote for the stage. Of his many plays, one tragedy, "Venice Preserved," is among the best remembered of the Restoration drama, and keeps his name familiar in literary allusion. "The Orphan" ranks next in critical esteem. He died in 1685.