The Medal, a Satire against Sedition Religio Laici, or a Layman's Faith page 183 203 233 The Art of Poetry, by Mr. Dryden and Sir William 268 285 JOHN DRYDEN, Eq; J° OHN DRYDEN, Efq; was defcended of a worthy family in Huntington thire, often ferving as Representatives for that County, and Son of Erafmus Dryden of Tichmarfh, in Northamptonshire, third Son of Sir Erafmus Dryden of Canons Afhby, in the fame County, Baronet. He was born at Aldwinckle, near Oundle, in that County, August 9, 1631, and educated in Westminster School under Dr. Richard Bufby, being one of the King's Scholars upon the Royal Foundation, as he tells us himself in an advertisement prefix'd to his tranflation of the Third Satire of Perfius, where he obferves, that he had tranflated that Satire, while he was at that School, for a Thursday Night's Exercife; and, in 1649, wrote a Poem upon the death of the Lord Haftings, in which he display'd a luxuriant, tho' incorrect imagination, in a very harsh turn of Verfification. The year following he was elected a Scholar of Trinity College in Cambridge. But we know little of him from that time till the death of the Protector Oliver Cromwell, apon which he wrote Heroic Stanza's, full of the highet compliments to the memory of a man, of whom he afterwards declar'd the greatest deteftation. At the Restoration he wrote a Poem upon that fubject under the title of Aftræa redux, and a Panygeric to the King on his Coronation the fame year, and, on New Year's Day 1662, presented a Poem to Lord Chancellor Hyde. In 1665, he wrote a Poem to the Duchess of York on the victory gain'd by the Duke against the Hollanders; and the year following he publish'd his Annus Mirabilis, an Historical Poem. In 1668, upon the death of Sir William Davenant, he was made Poet Laureat, and the fame year publish'd his Effay of Dramatic Poefy. The year following his Comedy, call'd The Wild Gallant, was acted at the Theatre Royal; after which he wrote a great number of other Dramatic Performances, which are generally thought the moft faulty of his Works, and the greateft defects of them are owing chiefly, perhaps, to his conforming himself to the popular tafte, fince he owns himself, that he never wrote any thing to please himself, but Anthony and Cleopatra. His faults, in this refpect, were ridicul'd with great pleafantry, in 1671, in the Rehearsal, written by the Duke of Buckingham, with the affiftance of Dr. Thomas Sprat his Chaplain, afterwards Bishop of Rochester, Mr. Martin Clifford, Mafter of the Charter-Houfe, and Mr. Samuel Butler, Author of Hudibras. His Conqueft of Granada was likewife criticis'd upon by Mr. Elkanah Settle, who, tho' a moft contemptible Poet, yet, for many years, was Mr. Dryden's Rival upon the Stage. In the latter end of the year 1679, an Effay on Satire being difpers'd in manufcript, containing many grofs reflections upon the Duchefs of Portsmouth, and the witty but profligate Earl of Rochefter, and they fufpecting Mr. Dryden to be the Author of it, he was feverely chaftis'd by three men, hir'd for that purpose, at Will's Coffee-Houfe in Covent-Garden. In 1680, he publish'd a translation of Ovid's Epiftles into English Verfe by feveral hands, feveral of which Epiftles were done by himfelf; and he wrote the Preface to it; and the year following publifh'd his Abfalom and Achitophel, written at the defire of King Charles II. in which having expos'd the character of the Duke of Buckingham, under the character of Zimri, it occafion'd a ftory, that his Grace took his revenge of him by procuring 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 Directi on, 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 ftruck on account of the Earl of Shaftsbury's acquittal by the Grand Jury. In 1682, he publish'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 blessed Memory, and found in his ftrong Box," in oppofition to Dr. Edward Stillingfleet's "Anfwer 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. Stillingfleet wrote a Vindication of his Anfwer, in which he animadverted, in fevere terms, upon Mr. Dryden's change of kis 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 Mouse and City Mouse." 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, 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 Foet Laureat and Hiftoriographer 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 Translation of Perfius, done intirely by himself; and, to the whole, prefix'd a long and beautiful difcourfe, 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 laft 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 houfe in Gerard Street, where he had liv'd many years, and was interr'd in Westminster 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 likewife distinguish'd by their poetical Talents. His character is drawn to great advantage by Mr. Congreve 1, 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, easily 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 frong and generous inftances of it, tho' his hereditary income was little more than a bare competency. In the Dedication to Mr. Dryden's Dramatick Works. As |