Though he had little school­ing, Ros­coe worked for an at­tor­ney and sub­se­quent­ly prac­ticed law in Liv­er­pool un­til 1796. He then turned to his first love, lit­er­a­ture. He was a strong an­ti-slav­ery ad­vocate, and Mem­ber of Par­lia­ment from Liv­er­pool in 1807. He con­trib­ut­ed eight hymns and the con­clud­ing anthem to the Uni­tar­i­an Selection of Psalms and Hymns for Pub­lic and Pri­vate Wor­ship, 1818. His works in­clude:

• “Mount Pleasant,” 1773
• “The Wrongs of Af­ri­ca,” 1787, 1788
• “Ode to the People of France,” 1789
• Life of Lorenzo dé Me­di­ci, 1796
• Life and Pon­tif­i­cate of Leo the Tenth, 1805
• “The Butterfly’s Ball and the Grass­hop­per’s Feast,” 1807
• Illustra­tions of the Life of Lorenzo dé Me­di­ci, 1796

Sources

Hymns

1. Let Our Loud Song of Praise Arise
2. Go, Suffering Habitant of Earth
3. Great God! Be­neath Whose Pierc­ing Eye
4. Thus Said Jesus, Go and Do
5. What Is the First and Great Com­mand?