Here let me bend, great DRYDEN, at thy fhrine,

Thou deareft name to all the tuneful Nine.
What if fome dull lines in cold order creep,
And with his theme the poet feems to fleep!
Still, when his fubject rises proud to view,
With equal strength the poet rises too :
With strong invention, noblest vigour fraught,
Thought still springs up and rifes out of thought;
Numbers ennobling numbers in their course,
In varied sweetness flow, in varied force.
The powers of genins, and of judgment join,
And the whole art of poetry is thine.

CHURCHILL'S APOLOGY.

EDINBURGH:

PRINTED BY Mundell and SON, ROYAL BANK CL OSÉ.

Anno 1793.

JOHN DRYDEN, "the great High Priest of all the Nine," and "the father of English criticism," was born at Aldwincle, near Oundle, a village belonging to the Earl of Exeter in Northamptonshire, Aug. 6. 1631. He was fon of Erasmus Dryden, Efq. of Tichmarsh, Northamptonshire, the third fon of Erasmus Dryden, Bart. of Canons-Ashby in that county, defcended of a family originally fettled in Huntingdonshire.

He is reported by Derrick, one of his biographers, to have inherited, from his father, an estate of 200 1. per annum, and to have been bred an Anabaptist; but for either of these particulars no authority is given.

He was educated at Westminster school, as a King's scholar, under Dr. Busby, where. he has himself told us, he "translated the Third Satire of Perfius, for a Thursday night's exercife," and wrote many other exercises of this nature in English verfe."

In 1649, the year before he left school, he wrote a poem On the Death of Lord Haftings, which abounds in fuch conceits, as the example of Cowley still kept in reputation.

In 1650, he was elected to one of the Westminster scholarships at Cambridge, and went off to Trinity College.

The fame year, he wrote a copy of verfes prefixed to the " Poems of John Hoddefon," London, 12m0., 1650, under this title, J. Dryden, of Trinity College, to bis Friend, the Author, upon bis Divine Epigrams.

In 1653, he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts. On the death of Cromwell, in 1658, he wrote Heroic Stanzas on the late Lord Protector; which, compared with the verses of Sprat and Waller on the fame occafion, were fufficient to raise great expectations of the rifing poet.

At the Restoration, he changed his opinion, like the other panegyrifts of Cromwell, who shared with him the reproach of inconftancy, and published ASTREA REDUX, a Poem on the happy restoration and return of his mast facred Majefty, King Charles II. 1660. A remarkable couplet, in the beginning of this Poem, exposed him to the ridicule of the wits.

An horrid fillness first invades the ear,

And in that filence we the tempeft fear.

The fame year, he praised the new King, in A Panegyric to bis Majefly on bis Coronation.

In 1661, he contributed a copy of Latin verses, On the Death of Prince Henry and Princess Mary, inferted in the "Threni Cantabrigienfes” of that year; and another on the Marriage of King Charles ÍI. printed in the "Epithalamia Cantabrigienfía 1662.”

It appears from his signature, that, in 1662, he had obtained a fellowship; for that academical honour does not attend his name in 1661.

If these poems had been seen by Dr. Johnson, before the publication of his excellent Life of Dryden, that judicious biographer would certainly have made some alteration in the following paragraph: "At the University, he does not appear to have been eager of poetical distinction, or to have lavished his early wit either on fictitious subjects, or public occafions. He probably confidered, that he who purposed to be an author ought first to be a student. He obtained, whatever was the reason, no fellowship in the college. Why he was excluded cannot now be known, and it is vain to guess: had he thought himself injured he knew how to complain. It was not till the death of Cromwell, in 1658, that he became a public candidate for fame."

In 1662, he addressed a poem to the Lord Chancellor Hyde, prefented on New-Year's-Day, and the fame year published A Satire on the Dutch.

It may be confidered as a proof of his early reputation for knowledge, that he was chosen a mem- | ber of the Royal Society foon after the formation of that inftitution. He was elected a fellow 19th November, 1662, and admitted the 26th. This circumstance is wholly unnoticed by his biographers. Few poets have folicited an introduction into that learned body fince Cowley, Denham, and Dryden. In 1663, in the thirty-fecond year of his age, he commenced a writer for the stage, of which he

kept poffeffion for many years, not without the competition of rivals, who fometimes prevailed, or the cenfure of critics, which was often juft, but with fuch a degree of reputation, as encouraged him to exercise his genius in compofing eight-and-twenty dramas.

His first piece was a comedy, called The Wild Gallant, which met with such indifferent success, that, had not neceffity compelled him to perfevere, the English ftage had perhaps never been favoured with fome of its brightest ornaments. This play was revised and printed in 1669.

In 1664, he produced The Rival Ladies, a tragi-comedy, in dramatic rhyme, with a dedication to the Earl of Orrery, who was himself a writer of rhyming tragedies.

He then joined with Sir Robert Howard in the Indian Queen, a tragedy in rhyme; but the parts which he wrote are not diftinguished.

In 1667, he produced The Indian Emperor, a tragedy in rhyme, intended for a fequel to Howard's Indian Queen, of which notice was given to the audience by printed bills, distributed at the door, an expedient which is supposed to be ridiculed in "The Rehearsal," where Bayes tells how many reams he has printed, to instil into the audience fome conception of the plot.

To this play is prefixed a very vehement defence of dramatic rhyme, in confutation of the preface to" the Duke of Lerma," in which Sir Robert Howard had cenfured it.

The fame year, he published Annus Mirabilis, the Year of Wonders, M,DC,LXVI, which is juftly esteemed one of his most elaborate performances. It is written in quatrains, or heroic stanzas of four lines, a measure which he borrowed from the "Gondibert" of Davenant, and which, in his prefatory letter to Sir Robert Howard, he says, " I have ever judged more noble, and of greater dignity, than any other verfe in ufe amongst us."

He was now fo much diftinguished, that on the death of Davenant in 1668, he was made PoetLaureat. The fame year he published his Effay on Dramatic Poetry, an elegant and inftructive dialogue, in which the principal character, according to Prior, is meant to represent the Earl of Dorfet. In 1668, he produced Secret Love, or the Maiden- Queen, a tragi-comedy, and Sir Martin Mar-all, a comedy, which was at firft published without his name. Langbaine charges it like moft of the reft, with plagiarism. Downes fays, the Duke of Newcastle gave this play to Dryden, who adapted it to the stage, and it is entered on the books of the Stationers Company, as the production of that Nobleman.

The Tempest, an alteration of Shakspeare's play, made by Dryden in conjunction with Davenant, was exhibited in 1670. The effect produced by two such powerful minds, was, that to Shakspeare's monster Caliban, is added a sister-monster 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 feen a woman. The new

characters were chiefly the invention and writing of Davenant, as acknowledged by Dryden in his preface.

In 1671, An Evening's Love, or the Mock Aftrologer, a comedy, made its appearance, with a preface and dedication to the Duke of Newcastle. The preface is elaborately written, and contains many juft remarks on the fathers of the English drama.

In 1672, he produced another tragedy in rhyme, called Tyrrannie Love, or the Virgin Martyr, which has many paffages of strength and elegance, and many of empty noise and ridiculous turbulence. The rants of Maximin have been always the fport of criticifm, and were at length the fhame of the writer.

The fame year appeared the two parts of the Conquest of Granada, which abound in dramatic wonders and poetical beauties, and met with great fuccefs; but they are written in profeffed deGance of probability, and have been long laid afide.

He did not enjoy his reputation, however, without moleftation. The Conqueft of Granada was cenfured with fome feverity by Martin Clifford, Efq. of the Charter-Houfe; and the two most distinguished wits of the nobility, Buckingham and Rochefter, declared themselves his enemies.

Buckingham characterifed him in 1672, by the name of Bayes, in " The Rehearsal," a fatirical comedy, which he is faid to have written in 1665, with the affistance of Butler, Martin Clifford, Efq. and Sprat, then his chaplain.

Dr. Johnfon fays, it " was originally intended against Davenant, who in the firft draught was characterifed by the name of Bilboa. Davenant had been a foldier and an adventurer."