In 1667 he published Annus Mirabilis the Year of Wonders, which may be efteemed one of his most elaborate works.

It is addreffed to Sir Robert Howard by a letter, which is not properly a dedication; and, writing to a poet, he has interspersed many critical obfervations, of which fome are common, and fome perhaps ventured without much confideration. He began, even now, to exercife the domination of confcious genius, by recommending his own performance ; "I am fatisfied that as the Prince and General [Rupert and "Monk] are incomparably the best fubjects I ever had, fo "what I have written on them is much better than what I "have performed on any other. As I have endeavoured to "adorn my poem with noble thoughts, fo much more to ex"prefs those thoughts with elocution,"

It is written in quatrains, or heroic stanzas of four lines: a measure which he had learned from the Gondibert of Davenant, and which he then thought the most majestick that the English language affords. Of this ftanza he mentions the incumbrances, encreased as they were by the exactness which the age required. It was, throughout his life, very much his cuftom to recommend his works by representation of the difficulties that he had encountered, without appearing to have fufficiently confidered, that where there is no difficulty there is no praise.

There feems to be, in the conduct of Sir Robert Howard and Dryden towards each other, fomething that is not now eafily to be explained. Dryden, in his dedication to the Earl of Orrery, had defended dramatick rhyme; and Howard, in the preface to a collection of plays had cenfured his opinion. Dryden vindicated himself in his Dialogue on Dramatick Poetry: Howard, in his preface to the Duke of Lerma, animadverted on the Vindication; and Dryden, in a preface to the Indian Emperor, replied to the Animadverfions with great afperity, and almost with contumely. The dedication to this play is dated the year in which the Annus Mirabilis

was published. Here appears a strange inconfiftency; but Langbaine affords fome help, by relating that the answer to Howard was not published in the first edition of the play, but was added when it was afterwards reprinted; and as the Duke of Lerma did not appear till 1668, the fame year in which the dialogue was published, there was time enough for enmity to grow up between authors, who, writing both for the theatre, were naturally rivals.

He was now fo much distinguished, that in 1668 * he fucceeded Sir William Davenant as poet-laureat. The falary of the laureat had been raised in favour of Jonfon, by Charles the First, from an hundred marks to one hundred pounds a year, and a tierce of wine; a revenue in those days not inadequate to the conveniencies of life.

The fame year, he published his effay on Dramatick Poetry, an elegant and inftructive dialogue, in which we are told, by Prior, that the principal character is meant to represent the Duke of Dorfet. This work feems to have given Addison a model for his Dialogues upon Medals.

Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen (1668), is a tragi-comedy. In the preface he difcuffes a curious queftion, whether a poet can judge well of his own productions? and determines very juftly, that, of the plan and difpofition, and all that can be reduced to principles of fcience, the author may depend upon his own opinion; but that, in those parts where fancy predominates, felf-love may easily deceive. He might have observed, that what is good only because it pleases, can not be pronounced good till it has been found to please.

Sir Martin Marr-all (1668) is a comedy, published without preface or dedication, and at firft without the name of the author. Langbaine charges it, like most of the reft, with plagiarism; and obferves, that the fong is tranflated from

*He did not obtain the Laurel till August 18, 1670, but, Mr. Malone informs us, the patent had a retrospect, and the falary commenced from the Midsummer after D'Avenant's death. C.

Voiture, allowing however that both the fenfe and measure are exactly obferved.

The Tempest (1670) is an alteration of Shakspeare's play, made by Dryden in conjunction with Davenant; "whom,” fays he, "I found of fo quick a fancy, that nothing was propofed to him in which he could not fuddenly produce a

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thought extremely pleasant and furprifing; and those first "thoughts of his, contrary to the Latin proverb, were not "always the least happy; and as his fancy was quick, so like"wife were the products of it remote and new. He bor"rowed not of any other; and his imaginations were fuch as "could not eafily enter into any other man."

The effect produced by the conjunction of these two powerful minds was, that to Shakspeare's monster, Caliban, is added a fifter monfter, Sycorax; and a woman, who, in the original play, had never feen a man, is in this brought acquainted with a man that had never seen a woman.

About this time, in 1673, Dryden feems to have had his quiet much disturbed by the success of the Empress of Morocco, a tragedy written in rhyme by Elkanah Settle; which was so much applauded, as to make him think his fupremacy of reputation in fome danger. Settle had not only been prof perous on the stage, but, in the confidence of fuccefs, had published his play, with sculptures and a preface of defiance. Here was one offence added to another; and, for the last blaft of inflammation, it was acted at Whitehall by the courtladies.

Dryden could not now reprefs thofe emotions, which he called indignation, and others jealoufy; but wrote upon the play and the dedication such criticism as malignant impatience could pour out in haste.

Of Settle he gives this character: "He's an animal of a "moft deplored understanding, without reading and conver"fation. His being is in a twilight of sense, and fome glim"mering of thought which he can never fashion into wit or

English. His ftyle is boisterous and rough-hewn, bis

"

rhyme incorrigibly lewd, and his numbers perpetually "harsh and ill-founding. The little talent which he has, is "fancy. He fometimes labours with a thought; but, with "the pudder he makes to bring it into the world, 'tis com"monly still-born; fo that, for want of learning and elocu“tion, he will never be able to express any thing either na"turally or justly.”

This is not very decent; yet this is one of the pages in which criticism prevails over brutal fury.

He proceeds: "He has a heavy hand at fools, and a great "felicity in writing nonsense for them. Fools they will be "in spite of him. His King, his two Empreffes, his Villain, " and his Sub-villain, nay his Hero, have all a certain natu"ral caft of the father-their father was born and bred in "them, and fomething of the Elkanah will be visible."

This is Dryden's general declamation; I will not withhold from the reader a particular remark. Having gone through the first act, he says, "To conclude this act with the most "rumbling piece of nonfenfe spoken yet:

"To flattering lightning our feign'd fmiles conform,
"Which, back'd with thunder, do but gild a ftorm.

Conform a fmile to lightning, make a fmile imitate light"ning, and flattering lightning: lightning fure is a threat

ening thing. And this lightning muft gild a ftorm. Now, "if I must conform my fmiles to lightning, then my fmiles "must gild a storm too: to gild with smiles, is a new inven"tion of gilding. And gild a ftorm by being backed with "thunder. Thunder is part of the ftorm; fo one part of "the ftorm must help to gild another part, and help by "backing; as if a man would gild a thing the better for be"ing backed, or having a load upon his back. So that here "is gilding by conforming, fmiling, lightning, backing, "and thundering. The whole is as if I fhould fay thus: "I will make my counterfeit fmiles look like a flattering "ftone-horse, which, being backed with a trooper, does but

"gild the battle. I am mistaken if nonfenfe is not here pretty "thick fown. Sure the poet writ these two lines a-board "fome fmack in a storm, and, being fea-fick, fpewed up a "good lump of clotted nonfense at once."

Here is perhaps a fufficient specimen ; but as the pamphlet, though Dryden's, has never been thought worthy of republication, and is not eafily to be found, it may gratify curiofity to quote it more largely :

Whene'er the bleeds,

He no feverer a damnation needs,

That dares pronounce the fentence of her death,
Than the infection that attends that breath.

"That attends that breath.-The poet is at breath again; "breath can never 'fcape him; and here he brings in a "breath that must be infectious with pronouncing a fen"tence; and this fentence is not to be pronounced till the " condemned party bleeds; that is, fhe must be executed first, "and fentenced after; and the pronouncing of this fentence "will be infectious; that is, others will catch the disease of "that sentence, and this infecting of others will torment a "man's felf. The whole is thus; when he bleeds, thou "needeft no greater hell or torment to thyself, than infect"ing of others by pronouncing a sentence upon her. What "hodge podge does he make here! Never was Dutch grout "fuch clogging, thick, indigeftible stuff. But this is but a "tafte to stay the ftomach; we shall have a more plentiful "mess presently."

"Now to difh up the poet's broth, that I promised:

For when we're dead, and our freed fouls enlarg'd,

Of nature's groffer burden we're discharg'd.

Then, gentle as a happy lover's figh,

Like wand'ring meteors through the air we'll fly,

And in our airy walk, as fubtle guests,

We'll steal into our cruel fathers' breafts,

There read their fouls, and track each paffion's fphere,

See how Revenge moves there, Ambition here;