"Now where that is, Almanzor's fate is fixt, I "cannot guefs; but wherever it is, I believe Almanzor, and think that all Abdalla's fubjects, piled

66

upon one another, might not pull down his fate fo "well as without piling: befides, I think Abdalla fo "wife a man, that if Almanzor had told him piling "his men upon his back might do the feat, he would "fcarce bear fuch a weight, for the pleafure of the "exploit; but it is a huff, and let Abdalla do it if he "dare.

"The people like a headlong torrent go,
"And every dam they break or overflow.
"But unoppos'd, they either lofe their force,
"Or wind in volumes to their former courfe.

"A very pretty allufion, contrary to all fenfe or rea"fon. Torrents, I take it, let them wind never fo "much, can never return to their former courfe, un

lefs he can fuppofe that fountains can go upwards, "which is impoffible: nay more, in the foregoing page he tells us fo too. A trick of a very unfaith

"ful memory,

"But can no more than fountains upward flow.

"Which of a torrent, which fignifies a rapid ftream, "is much more impoffible. Befides, if he goes to "quibble, and fay that it is poffible by art water may "be made return, and the fame water run twice in "one and the fame channel: then he quite confutes "what he fays; for, it is by being oppofed, that it "runs into its former courfe: for all engines that "make water fo return, do it by compulfion and op

pofition, Or, if he means a headlong torrent for a "tide, which would be ridiculous, yet they do not "wind in volumes, but come fore-right back (if their ❝ upright

"upright lies ftraight to their former courfe), and that by oppofition of the fea-water, that drives them back again.

"And for fancy, when he lights of any thing like "it, 'tis a wonder if it be not borrowed. As here, "for example of, I find this fanciful thought in his

Ann. Mirab.

"Old father Thames raifed up his reverend head;
But fear'd the fate of Simocis would return;

Deep in his ooze he fought his fedgy bed;
“And thrunk his waters back into his urn.
This is ftolen from Cowley's Davideis, p. 9.
"Swift Jordan farted, and strait backward fled,
"Hiding amongst thick reeds his aged head.
"And when the Spaniards their affault begin,
"At once beat thofe without and thofe within.

"This Almanzor speaks of himfelf; and fure for one "man to conquer an army within the city, and ano"ther without the city, at once, is fomething diffi

cult; but this flight is pardonable, to fome we meet "with in Granada. Ofmin, fpeaking of Almanzor:

66

Who, like a tempeft that outrides the wind,
Made a juft battle, ere the bodies join'd.

"Pray what does this honourable perfon mean by a "tempeft that outrides the wind! A tempeft that out"rides itself. To fuppofe a tempeft without wind, is 66 as bad as fuppofing a man to walk without feet; for "if he fuppofes the tempeft to be fomething distinct "from the wind, yet as being the effect of wind only, "to come before the caufe is a little prepofterous: fo "that, if he takes it one way, or if he takes it the "other, thofe two ifs will fearce make one pribility." Enough of Settic.

Marriage

Marriage Alamode 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 Rochefter therefore was the famous Wilmot, whom yet tradition always reprefents as an enemy to Dryden, and who is mentioned by him with fome difrefpect in the preface to Juvenal,

The Affignation, or Love in a Nunnery, a comedy, was driven off the ftage, 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 unreasonable cenfure,

Amboyna is a tiffue of mingled dialogue in verfe 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, is a play altered from Shakfpeare; but fo altered that even in Langbaine's opinion, the laft fcene in the third alt is a masterpiece. 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 is 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 firft, 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 written in conjunction with Lee, as Oedipus had been before, feems to de ferve 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 laft he feems 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 promife juft upon the finishing of a poem, when I would have been glad of a little refpite.-Two thirds of it belonged to him; and to me only the first scene of the play, the whole fourth att, and the firft half or somewhat more of the fifth.

This was a play written profeffedly for the party of the duke of York, whofe fucceffion was then opposed. A parallel is intended between the Leaguers of France and the Covenanters of England; and this intention produced the controverfy.

Albion

Albion and Albanius is a musical drama or opera, writ ten, like the Duke of Guife, against the Republicans. With what fuccefs it was performed, I have not found *. The

*This drama, as Johnfon fays, is written against the republicans, but it is pointed more immediately against the earl of Shaftesbury, who, at the time of writing it, was become odious. To explain the defign and tell the fate of it, will require a long note.

In one of the stage directions is a description of a device of machinery in these words : "Fame rifes out of the middle of the stage, "standing on a globe, on which is the arms of England: the globe "rests on a pedestal: on the front of the pedestal is drawn a man "with a long, lean, pale face, with fiends wings, and snakes twisted "round his body: he is encompassed by several phanatical rebelli<6 ous heads, who fuck poifon from him, which runs out of a tap "in his fide."

The wit of this fatire at this day ftands in fome need of an explanation. The earl of Shaftesbury was afflicted with a dropfy, and had frequent recourfe to the expedient of tapping; and fuch was the malevolence of his enemies, that although they had their choice of numberless particulars by which he might have been diftinguished, that of the tap appeared to them the most eligible. Some time before his death, it was a fashion in taverns to have wine brought to guests, and fet upon table in a wooden or filver vessel shaped like a tun, with a cock to it, and this was called a Shaftesbury.

As it was an opera, this drama was fet to mufic by Grabu, a French musician, who in the preface is complimented to the prejudice of Purcell. It abounds with ridiculous pageantry, fuch as Juno drawn by peacocks, and the appearance of a rainbow, or fome fuch meteor, which had then lately been feen in the heavens ; Dances were alfo introduced into it, compofed by Mr. Lane, so that the expence of the reprefentation far exceeded the amount of the money taken for admittance. Downes fays, it was performed on a very unlucky day, viz. that on which the duke of Monmouth landed in the west; and he intimates that the confternation into which the kingdom was thrown by this event, was a reafon why it was performed but fix times, and was in general ill received. The following humorous ballad was written in ridicule of this drama, and in particular of Grabu's mufic to it.

From father Hopkins, whofe vein did infpire him,

Bayes fends this rares-how to publick view;

Prentices,