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 co"pies of it being difperfed abroad

(

without my knowledge or confent, "and every one gathering new faults,

it became 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 tranfcribed. 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

Aureng Zebe is a tragedy founded on the actions of a great prince then reigning, but over nations not likely to einploy their criticks upon the transactions of the English ftage. If he had known and not liked his own character, our trade was not in thofe times fecure from his refentment. His country is at fuch a distance, that the inanners might be fafely falfified, and the incidents feigned; for remotenefs 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 per-fonages 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 verfes, and a critick. In this address Dryden gave the firft hints of his intention to write an epick poem. He mentions his defign in terms fo 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," says he, " you know is

great, the ftory Eng

lifh, and neither too near the prefent "times, nor too diftant 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 ad mitting the romantick omnipotence of Love, he has recommended as laudable and worthy of imitation that conduct which, through all ages, the good have cenfured as vitious, and the bad defpifed as foolish.

Of this play the prologue and the epilogue, though written upon the com mon 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 fpritelinefs.

Limberkam, or the kind Keeper, is a comedy, which, after the third night, was prohibited as too indecent for the stage. 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 exposed the keeping part of the town.

Ocdipus