"If this be not a very liberal mefs, I will refer myself "to the ftomach of any moderate guest. And a rare "mefs it is, far excelling any Weftminster white"broth. It is a kind of gibblet porridge, made of "the gibblets of a couple of young geefe, ftodged full "of meteors, orbs, fpheres, track, hideous draughts, dark "characters, white forms, and radiant lights, defigned "not only to pleafe appetite, and indulge luxury; "but it is alfo phyfical, being an approved medicine to purge choler: for it is propounded by Morena, as à 66 receipt to cure their fathers of their choleric hu"mours: and were it written in characters as barba"rous as the words, might very well pafs for a "doctor's bill. To conclude, it is porridge, 'tis a re"ceipt, 'tis a pig with a pudding in the belly, 'tis I "know not what: for, certainly, never any one that "pretended to write fenfe, had the impudence before "to put fuch ftuff as this into the mouths of those "that were to speak it before an audience, whom "he did not take to be all fools; and after that to "print it too, and expofe it to the examination of "the world. But let us fee, what we can make of "this stuff: For when we're dead, and our freed fouls enlarg'd"Here he tells us what it is to be dead; it is to have "our freed fouls fet free. Now if to have a foul fet "free, is to be dead, then to have a freed foul fet free, "is to have a dead man die. Then gentle, as a happy lover's figh "They two like one figh, and that one figh like two 66 wandering meteors, -hall fly through the air "That "That is, they fhall mount above like falling ftars, or else they fhall fkip like two Jacks with "lanthorns, or Will with a wifp, and Madge with a "candle." And in their airy walk fteal into their cruel fathers breafts, like fabile guests. So " that their fathers breafts must be in an airy walk, an airy walk of a flier. And "there they will read their fouls, and track the Spheres of their paffions. That is, thefe walking fliers, Jack "with a lanthorn, &c. will put on his fpectacles, and "fall a reading fouls, and put on his pumps and fall a "tracking of Spheres; fo that he will read and run, "walk and fly at the fame time! Oh! Nimble Jack. "Then he will fee, how revenge here, bow ambition "there-The birds will hop about. And then view "the dark characters of fieges, ruins, murders, blood, and 66 wars, in their orbs: Track the characters to their "forms! Oh! rare fport for Jack. Never was place "fo full of game as thefe breafts! You cannot ftir but flufh a fphere, ftart a character, or unkennel an "orb!" Settle's is faid to have been the first play embellished with fculptures; thofe ornaments seem to have given poor Dryden great disturbance. He tries however to cafe his pain, by venting his malice in a parody. "The poet has not only been fo impudent to ex"pofe all this stuff, but fo arrogant to defend it with "an epiftle; like a faucy booth-keeper, that, when "he had put a cheat upon the people, would wrangle "and fight with any that would not like it, or would "offer to difcover it; for which arrogance our poet "receives this correction; and to jerk him a little VOL. II. Y "the "the fharper, I will not tranfpofe his verfe, but by "the help of his own words tranfnon-sense sense, “that, by my stuff, people may judge the better what "his is; "Great Boy, thy tragedy and sculptures done From prefs, and plates in fleets do homeward 66 come: "And in ridiculous and humble pride, "Their courfe in ballad-fingers baskets guide, 66 66 Thy words big bulks of boisterous bombaft bear. "With noife they move, and from players mouths re bound, "When their tongues dance to thy words empty found By thee infpir'd the rumbling verfes roll, "As if that rhyme and bombaft lent a foul: "And with that foul they feem taught duty too, "To huffing words does humble nonfenfe bow, "As if it would thy worthlefs worth enhance, "To th' loweft rank of fops thy praise advance; "To whom, by inftinet, all thy stuff is dear; "Their loud claps echo to the theatre. "From breaths of fools thy commendation spreads, "Fame fings thy praife with mouths of loggerheads. "With noife and laughing each thy fuftian greets, "'Tis clapt by quires of empty-headed cits, "Who have their tribute fent, and homage given, "As men in whifpers fend loud noife to heaven. "Thus I have daubed him with his own puddle: "and now we are come from aboard his dancing, nufking, rebounding, breathing fleet; and as it we "had 323 had landed at Gotham, we meet nothing but fools and nonfenfe." Such was the criticifm to which the genius of Dryden could be reduced, between rage and terrour; rage with little provocation, and terrour with little danger. To fee the higheft minds thus levelled with the meanest, may produce fome folace to the consciousnefs of weakness, and fome mortification to the pride of wisdom. But let it be remembered, that minds are not levelled in their powers but when they are first levelled in their defires. Dryden and Settle had both placed their happiness in the claps of multitudes. The Mock Afrologer, a comedy, is dedicated to the illuftrious duke of Newcastle, whom he courts by adding to his praises thofe of his lady, not only as a lover but a partner of his ftudies. It is unpleafing to think how many names, once celebrated, are fince forgotten. Of Newcastle's works nothing is not known but his treatife on horfemanship. The Preface feems very elaborately written, and contains many juft remarks on the Fathers of the English drama. Shakespeare's .plots, he fays, are in the hundred novels of Cinthio; thofe of Beaumont and Fletcher in Spanish Stories; Jonfon only made them for himself. His criticifms upon tragedy, comedy, and farce, are judicious and profound. He endeavours to defend the immorality of fome of his comedies by the example of former writers; which is only to fay, that he was not the first nor perhaps the greatest offender. Against thofe thar accufed him of plagiarism he alledges a favourable expreffion of the king: "He "only defired that they, who accufe me of thefts, VOL. II. "would Y 2 "would steal him plays like mine;" and then relates how much labour he fpends in fitting for the English ftage what he borrows from others. Tyrannick Love, or the Virgin Martyr, was another tragedy in rhyme, confpicuous for many paffages of ftrength and elegance, and many of empty noife and ridiculous turbulence. The rants of Maximin have been always the sport of criticism; and were at length, if his own confeffion may be trufted, the fhame of the writer. Of this play he takes care to let the reader know, that it was contrived and written in feven weeks. Want of time was often his excufe, or perhaps fhortness of time was his private boaft in the form of an apology. It was written before the Conquest of Granada, but published after it. The delign is to recommend piety. "I confidered that pleasure was not the only end of "poefy, and that even the inftructions of morality "were not fo wholly the business of a poet, as that 66 precepts and examples of piety were to be omitted; "for to leave that employment altogether to the clergy, "were to forget that religion was first taught in verse, "which the lazinefs or dullnefs of fucceeding priest"hood turned afterwards into profe." Thus foolishly could Dryden write, rather than not fhew his malice to the parfons. The two parts of the Conquest of Granada are written with a feeming determination to glut the publick with dramatick wonders; to exhibit in its highest elevation a theatrical meteor of incredible love and impoffible valour, and to leave no room for a wilder flight to the extravagance of pofterity. All the rays of romantick 2 heat, |