procuring him to be beaten; but this was falfe; for the Duke only wrote, or caufed to be written, Reflections on that Poem, of which Mr. Dryden was follicited to write a fecond Part, but, declining it, engag'd Mr. Tate to undertake it under his Direction, and wrote near two hundred lines in it. His next Poem was entitled The Medal, a Satire against Sedition, written upon occafion of a medal struck on account of the Earl of Shaftsbury's acquittal by the Grand Jury. In 1682, he publifh'd his Religio Laici; and the year following the Tragedy of the Duke of Guife, written by him and Mr. Nathaniel Lee, gave great offence to the Whig Party, and was attack'd by feveral Writers. In the beginning of the Reign of King James II. he reconcil'd himself to the Church of Rome; and, in 1686, wrote " A Defence " of the Papers written by the late King of bleffed "Memory, and found in his ftrong Box," in oppofition to Dr. Edward Stillingfleet's "Answer to fome Papers lately printed, concerning the Authority of "the Catholic Church in Matters of Faith, and the "Reformation of the Church of England." Upon which Dr. Stilling fleet wrote a Vindication of his Anfwer, in which he animadverted, in fevere terms, upon Mr. Dryden's change of his Religion, as grounded upon his indifference to all Religion. The year following Mr. Dryden publish'd his Hind and Panther, in favour of the Church of Rome; which occafion'd an admirable piece of Ridicule, written. by Mr. Charles Montagu, afterwards Earl of Halifax, and Mr. Matthew Prior, and entitled "The "Hind and Panther tranfvers'd to the Story of the "Country Moufe and City Moufe." About this time he was fuppos'd to be engag'd in tranflating Monf. Varillas's Hiftory of Herefies; but this Tranflation never appear'd in print, tho', in the year 1688, A 4 he, he publish'd the Life of St. Francis Xavier, tranflated from the French of Father Bouhours, the Jefuit. Upon the Revolution he loft his place of Poet Laureat and Historiographer Royal, in which he was fucceeded by Thomas Shadwell, Efq; In 1693, he publish'd a Tranflation of Juvenal by feveral hands, the first, third, fixth, tenth, and fixteenth being done by himself; and a Tranflation of Perfius, done intirely by himself; and, to the whole, prefix'd a long and beautiful discourse, by way of dedication, to the Earl of Dorfet. His Tranflation of Du Frefnoy's Art of Painting was publish'd in 1695, and that of Virgil's Works in 1697. His last Work was his Fables, and perhaps the most perfect, in its kind, of all his Performances. He died on the first of May 1700, at his house in Gerard Street, where he had liv'd many years, and was interr'd in Weftminster Abby, where a Monument was erected to him by John Sheffield, Duke of Buckinghamshire. He married the Lady Elizabeth Howard, Daughter to the Earl of Berkshire, by whom he had three Sons, Charles, John, and Henry, the two former of whom were likewise distinguish'd by their poetical Talents. His character is drawn to great advantage by Mr. Congreve, who tells us, that he had perfonal qualities to challenge both love and efteem from all, who were truly acquainted with him. He was of a nature exceedingly humane and compaffionate, eafily forgiving injuries, and capable of a prompt and fincere reconciliation with them, who had offended him. His friendship, where he profefs'd it, went much beyond his profeffion; and he gave many trong and generous inftances of it, tho' his hereditary income was little more than a bare competency... 1 In the Dedication to Mr. Dryden's Dramatick Works. As As his reading had been very extenfive, fo was he very happy in a memory tenacious of every thing, that he had read. He was not more poffefs'd of knowledge, than he was communicative of it: but then his communication of it was by no means pedantic, or impos'd upon the conversation, but juft fuch, and went fo far, as, by the natural turns of the difcourfe, in which he was engag'd, it was neceffarily promoted or requir'd. He was extremely ready and gentle in his correction of the errors of any Writer, who thought fit to confult him; and full as ready and patient to admit of the reprehenfion of others, in respect of his own overfights or mistakes. He was of very easy, and indeed pleafing accefs; but fomething flow, and, as it were, diffident in his advances To others. He had fomething in his nature, that abhorr'd intrufion into any fociety whatever; and eafily discountenanc'd in his approaches either to his fuperior or his equals. His parts did not decline with his years; but he was an improving Writer to the last, even to near feventy years; improving in fire and imagination, as well as in judgment. He was equally excellent in Verse and in Profe; and his excellence in the latter he us❜d to ascribe to his having often read Archbishop Tillotfon's Works. His Verfification and his Numbers he could learn of no body; for he firft poffefs'd thofe talents in perfection in our Tongue. And it may be faid in general of his Writings, that what he did in any one fpecies, or diftinct kind, would have been fufficient to have acquir'd him a great name, BE gone, you flaves, you idle vermin go, Fly from the fcourges, and your master know; And weighty truths, folid convincing sense, What can you (Reverend Levi) here take ill? Whatever Whatever councils have approv'd his creed, O! how much happier and more safe are they? Or the faln angels room will be but ill fupply'd. To what ftupidity are zealots grown, In damning crouds of fouls, may damn their own. A convert free from malice and from pride. } } To |