"Old father Thames rais'd up his reverend head: "Swift Jordan ftarted, and ftrait backward fled, "This Almanzor fpeaks of himfelf; and fure for one man to conquer an army within the city, and another without "the city, at once, is fomething difficult: but this flight is "pardonable to fome we meet with in Granada: Ofmin, speaking of Almanzor, 66 "Who, like a tempeft that outrides the wind, "Pray, what does this honourable perfon mean by a tempeft "that outrides the wind? a tempeft that outrides itself. To "fuppofe a tempeft without wind, is as bad as fuppofing a "man to walk without feet; for if he fuppofes the tempeft "to be fomething diftinct from the wind, yet, as being the "effect of wind only, to come before the cause is a little pre"pofterous; fo that, if he takes it one way, or if he takes it "the other, thofe two ifs will fcarcely make one poffibility." Enough of Settle. Marriage a-la-mode (1673) is a comedy dedicated to the Earl of Rochester; whom he acknowledges not only as the defender of his poetry, but the promoter of his fortune. Langbaine places this play in 1673. The Earl of Rochester, therefore, was the famous Wilmot, whom yet tradition always represents as an enemy to Dryden, and who is mentioned by him with fome disrespect in the preface to Juvenal. The Affignation, or Love in a Nunnery, a comedy (1673) was driven off the stage, against the opinion, as the author fays, of the best judges. It is dedicated, in a very elegant addrefs, to Sir Charles Sedley; in which he finds an opportunity for his ufual complaint of hard treatment and unreafonable cenfure. Amboyna (1673) is a tiffue of mingled dialogue in verse and profe, and was perhaps written in lefs time than The Virgin Martyr; though the author thought not fit either oftentatiously or mournfully to tell how little labour it coft him, or at how fhort a warning he produced it. It was a temporary performance, written in the time of the Dutch war, to inflame the nation against their enemies; to whom he hopes, as he declares in his Epilogue, to make his poetry not lefs deftructive than that by which Tyrtæus of old animated the Spartans. This play was written in the fecond Dutch war, in 1673. Troilus and Creffida (1679) is a play altered from Shakfpeare; but fo altered, that, even in Langbaine's opinion, "the laft fcene in the third act is a mafter-piece." It is introduced by a difcourfe on " the Grounds of Criticism in Tragedy," to which I fufpect that Rymer's book had given occafion. The Spanish Fryar (1681) is a tragi-comedy, eminent for the happy coincidence and coalition of the two plots. As it was written against the Papifts, it would naturally at that time have friends and enemies; and partly by the popularity which it obtained at first, and partly by the real power both of the ferious and rifible part, it continued long a favourite of the publick. It was Dryden's opinion, at leaft for fome time, and he maintains it in the dedication of this play, that the drama required an alternation of comick and tragick fcenes; and that it is neceffary to mitigate by alleviations of merriment the preffure of ponderous events, and the fatigue of toilfome paffions. "Whoever," fays he, "cannot perform both parts, is but half a writer for the ftage." The Duke of Guife, a tragedy (1683), written in con junction with Lee, as Oedipus had been before, seems to deferve notice only for the offence which it gave to the remnant of the Covenanters, and in general to the enemies of the court, who attacked him with great violence, and were anfwered by him; though at last he seems to withdraw from the conflict, by transferring the greater part of the blame or merit to his partner. It happened that a contract had been made between them, by which they were to join in writing a play and he happened," fays Dryden, "to claim the pro"mise just upon the finishing of a poem, when I would have "been glad of a little respite. Two-thirds of it belonged to "him; and to me only the first scene of the play, the whole "fourth act, and the first half, or fomewhat more, of the "fifth." This was a play written profeffedly for the party of the Duke of York, whofe fucceffion was then oppofed. A parallel is intended between the Leaguers of France and the Covenanters of England: and this intention produced the controverfy. Albion and Albanius (1685) is a mufical drama or opera, written, like The Duke of Guife, against the Republicans. With what fuccefs it was performed, I have not found *. The State of Innocence and Fall of Man, (1675) is termed by him an opera: it is rather a tragedy in heroick rhyme, but of which the perfonages are fuch as cannot decently be exhibited on the ftage. Some fuch production was foreseen by Marvel, who writes thus to Milton: "Or if a work fo infinite be spann'd, Downes fays, it was performed on a very unlucky day, viz. that on which, the Duke of Monmouth landed in the Weft; and he intimates, that the confiernation into which the kingdom was thrown by this event was a reason why it was performed but fix times, and was in general ill received. H. "Might hence prefume the whole creation's day It is another of his hafty productions; for the heat of his imagination raised it in a month. This compofition is addreffed to the Princess of Modena, then Dutchess of York, in a strain of flattery which disgraces genius, and which it was wonderful that any man that knew the meaning of his own words could ufe without self-deteftation. It is an attempt to mingle Earth and Heaven, by praifing human excellence in the language of religion. The preface contains an apology for heroick verfe and poetic licence; by which is meant not any liberty taken in contracting or extending words, but the ufe of bold fictions and ambitious figures. The reafon which he gives for printing what was never acted cannot be overpaffed: "I was induced to it in my own "defence, many hundred copies of it being dispersed abroad "without my knowledge or confent; and every one gather❝ing new faults, it became at length a libel against me." These copies, as they gathered faults, were apparently manufcript; and he lived in an age very unlike ours, if many hundred copies of fourteen hundred lines were likely to be transcribed. An author has a right to print his own works, and need not feek an apology in falfehood; but he that could bear to write the dedication, felt no pain in writing the preface. Aureng Zebe (1676) is a tragedy founded on the actions of a great prince then reigning, but over nations not likely to employ their criticks upon the tranfactions of the English stage. If he had known and disliked his own character, our trade was not in thofe times fecure from his refentment. His country is at fuch a distance, that the manners might be safely falfified, and the incidents feigned; for the remoteness of place is remarked, by Racine, to afford the fame conveniences to a poet as length of time. This play is written in rhyme; and has the appearance of being the most elaborate of all the dramas. The perfonages are imperial; but the dialogue is often domeftick, and therefore fufceptible of fentiments accommodated to familiar incidents. The complaint of life is celebrated; and there are many other paffages that may be read with pleasure. This play is addressed to the Earl of Mulgrave, afterwards Duke of Buckingham, himself, if not a poet, yet a writer of verfes, and a critick. In this addrefs Dryden gave the first hints of his intention to write an epick poem. He mentions his defign in terms fo obfcure, that he feems afraid left his plan fhould be purloined, as, he says, happened to him when he told it more plainly in his preface to Juvenal. "The de"fign," fays he, "you know is great, the story English, and "neither too near the present times, nor too distant from "them." All for Love, or the World well Loft (1678), a tragedy founded upon the story of Anthony and Cleopatra, he tells us," is the only play which he wrote for himself:" the reft were given to the people. It is by univerfal confent accounted the work in which he has admitted the feweft improprieties of style or character; but it has one fault equal to many, though rather moral than critical, that, by admitting the romantick omnipotence of Love, he has recommended, as laudable and worthy of imitation, that conduct which, through all ages, the good have cenfured as vicious, and the bad despised as foolish. Of this play the prologue and the epilogue, though written upon the common topicks of malicious and ignorant criticism, and without any particular relation to the characters or incidents of the drama, are defervedly celebrated for their elegance and sprightlinefs. Limberham, or the kind Keeper (1680), is a comedy, which, after the third night, was prohibited as too indecent for the ftage. What gave offence, was in the printing, as the author fays, altered or omitted. Dryden confeffes that its indecency was objected to; but Langbaine, who yet fel |