of Jonfon, by Charles the First, from an hundred marks to one hundred pounds a year, and a tierce of wine; a revenue in those days not inadequate to the con veniencies of life.

The fame year he published his Effay on Dramatick Poetry, an elegant and inftructive dialogue; in which we are told by Prior, that the principal charac ter is meant to reprefent the duke of W Dorfet. This work feems to have given Addison a model for his Dialogues upon Medals.

Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen, is a tragi.comedy. In the preface he dif cuffes a curious queftion, whether a poet can judge well of his own productions: and determines very juftly, that, of the

plan and difpofition, and all that can be reduced to principles of fcience the

author may depend upon his own opinion; but that, in thofe parts where fancy predominates, felf-love may eafily deceive. He might have obferved, that what is good only becaufe it pleafes, cannot be pronounced good till it has been found to pleafe.

Sir Martin Marall is a confedy, pubfifhed without preface or dedication, and at firft without the name of the author." Langbaine charges it, like most of the reft, with plagiarifin; and obferves that the fong is tranflated from Voiture, allowing however that both the fenfe and measure are exactly obferved.

The Tempeft is an alteration of Shakespeare's play, made by Dryden in conjunction with Davenant, "whom, fays.

he, I found of fo quick a fancy, that "nothing was propofed to him in which "he could not fuddenly produce a

66

thought extremely pleasant and fur

"prifing; and those first thoughts of

his, contrary to the Latin proverb, "were not always the leaft happy; and "as his fancy was quick, fo likewise "were the products of it remote and "new. He borrowed not of any other, "and his imaginations were fuch as "could not easily enter into any other "man."

The effect produced by the conjunction of these two powerful minds was,

2

that:

that to Shakespeare's monfter Caliban is added a fifter-monfter Sicorax; and a woman, who, in the original play, had never seen a man, is in this brought acquainted with a man that had never feen

2 woman.

About this time, in 1673, Dryden feems to have had his quiet much dif-: turbed by the fuccefs of the Empress of Morocco, a tragedy written in rhyme by Elkanah Settle; which was fo much ap plauded, as to make him think his fupremacy of reputation in fome danger. Settle had not only been profperous on the ftage, but in the confidence of fucceís had published his play, with fculptures and a preface of defiance. Here was one offence added to another; and,

for the laft blaft of inflammation, it was acted at Whitehall by the court-ladies..

Dryden could not now reprefs thefe emotions, which he called indignation, and others jealoufy; but wrote upon the play and the dedication fuch a criticism as malignant impatience could pour out in hafte.

Of Settle he gives this character. "He's an animal of a moft deplored "understanding, without converfation.. "His being is in a twilight of fense,

and fome glimmering of thought, "which he can never fashion into wit

"or English. His ftile is boisterous "and rough-hewn, his rhyme incor

rigibly lewd, and his numbers perpe

tually harth and ill-founding. The

"little