The State of Innocence and Fall of Man is termed by him an opera: it is rather a tragedy in heroick rhyme, but of which the perfonages are fuch as cannot de

Prentices, fops, and their footmen admire him,
Thanks patron, painter, and monfieur Grabu
Each actor on the stage his luck bewailing,
Finds that his lofs is infallibly true;
Smith, Nokes, and Leigh in a fever with railing,
Curfe poet, painter, and monfieur Grabu.

Betterton, Betterton, thy decorations,

And the machines were well written we knew;
But all the words were fuch stuff we want patience,
And little better is monfieur Grabu.

Dme, fays Underhill, I'm out of two hundred,
Hoping that rainbows and peacocks would do;
Who thought infallible Tom could have blunder'd?
A plague upon him and monfieur Grabu.

Lane, thou haft no applaufe for thy capers,

Though all without thee would make a man spew;
And a month hence will not pay for the tapers,
Spite of Jack Laureat and monfieur Grabu.

Bayes, thou would't have thy fkill thought univerfal,
Though thy dull ear be to,mufick untrue;
Then whilst we strive to confute the Rehearsal,
Prithee learn thrashing of monfieur Grabu.
With thy dull prefaces ftill would'st thou treat us,
Striving to make thy dull bauble look fair;
So the horn'd herd of the city do cheat us,
Still most commending the worst of their ware.

Leave making operas and writing lyricks,

Till thou haft ears and canft alter thy ftrain

Stick to thy talent of bold panegyrics,

And still remember the breathing the vein.

Yet if thou thinkeft the town will extol 'em,
Print thy dull notes, but be thrifty and wife;

cently

Inftead

cently be exhibited on the stage. Some fuch production was forefeen by Marvel, who writes thus to Milton :

Or if a work fo infinite be spann'd,

Jealous I was leaft fome lefs fkilful hand,
Such as difquiet always what is well,
And by ill imitating would excel,

Might hence prefume the whole creation's day,
To change in scenes, and show it in a play.

It is another of his hafty productions; for the heat of his imagination raised it in a month.

This compofition is addreffed to the princefs of Modena, then dutchess of York, in a strain of flattery which difgraces genius, and which it was wonderful that any man that knew the meaning of his own words could ufe without felf-deteftation. It is an attempt to mingle earth and heaven, by praising human excellence in the language of religion.

The preface contains an apology for heroick verfe and poetick licence; by which is meant not any liberty taken in contracting or extending words, but the use 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

86

being difperfed abroad without my knowledge or *confent, and every one gathering new faults, it be

Inftead of angels fubfcrib'd for the volume *,
Take a round fhilling, and thank my advice.

In imitating thee this may be charming,

Gleaning from laureats is no fhame at all;
And let this fong be fung next performing,

Elfe ten to one but the prices will fall.

* The Mufic to Albion and Albanius was published by subscription of ten thillings for each copy.

ແ came

"came at length a libel against me." Thefe 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 needs not feek an apology in falfehood; but he that could bear to write the dedication felt no pain in writing the preface.

Aureng Zebe 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 those times fecure from his refentment. His country is at such a distance, that the manners might be fafely falfified, and the incidents feigned; for the remoteness of place is remarked by Racine, to afford the fame conveniencies 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 addreffed to the earl of Mulgrave, afterwards duke of Buckingham, himself, if not a poet, yet a writer of verses, and a critick. In this address Dryden gave the firft hints of his intention to write an epick poem. He mentions his design in terms so obfcure, that he feems afraid left his plan fhould be purloined, as, he fays, happened to him when he told it more plainly in his preface to Juvenal. "The defign," VOL. II.

Ꮓ

fays

fays he, "
you know is great, the ftory English, and
"neither too near the prefent times, nor too distant
"from them."

All for Love, or the World well loft, a tragedy founded upon the ftory of Antony 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 ftyle 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 ccnfured 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 fpriteliness.

Limberham, or the kind Keeper, 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 feldom favours him, imputes its expulfion to refentment, because it so much expofed the keeping part of the town.

Oedipus is a tragedy formed by Dryden and Lee, in conjunction, from the works of Sophocles, Seneca, and Corneille. Dryden planned the scenes, and compofed the first and third acts.

Don Sebaftian is commonly esteemed either the first or fecond of his dramatick performances. It is too long to be all acted, and has many characters and many

incidents;

Incidents; and though it is not without fallies of frantick dignity, and more noise than meaning, yet as it makes approaches to the poffibilities of real life, and has fome fentiments which leave a ftrong impreffion, it continued long to attract attention. Amidst the diftreffes of princes, and the viciffitudes of empire, are inferted several scenes which the writer intended for comick; but which, I fuppofe, that age did not much commend, and this would not endure. There are, however, paffages of excellence univerfally acknowledged; the difpute and the reconciliation of Dorax and Sebaftian has always been admired.

This play was first acted in 1690, after Dryden had for fome years difcontinued dramatick poetry.

Amphitryon is a comedy derived from Plautus and Moliere. The dedication is dated Oct. 1690. This play feems to have fucceeded at its first appearance; and was, I think, long confidered as a very diverting entertainment.

Cleomenes is a tragedy, only remarkable as it occa fioned an incident related in the Guardian, and allufively mentioned by Dryden in his preface. As he came out from the reprefentation, he was accofted thus by fome airy ftripling: Had I been left alone with a young beauty, I would not have spent my time like your Spartan. That, Sir, faid Dryden, perhaps is true; but give me leave to tell you, that you are no hero.

King Arthur is another opera. It was the laft work that Dryden performed for King Charles, who did not live to fee it exhibited; and it does not seem to have been ever brought upon the stage *. In the dedication to the marquis of Halifax, there is a very elegant cha

This is a mistake. It was fet to music by Purcell, and well received, and is yet a favourite entertainment. 7. 2

racter