quate return for the compliment, as I have by me a manuscript letter of our author's to that nobleman, written feemingly about this time, which I take, from the tenor of it, to have arisen from such an occafion.

The Affignation, or Love in a Nunnery, a comedy, did not fucceed in the reprefentation; and the poet,in his dedication of it to Sir Charles Sedley, fays, he knows not whether to charge the miscarriage to the number of his enemies, or the defects of the performance. We have mentioned together the plays laid hold of by the author of the Rehearfal; and, as nearly as we could collect, have difpofed them in the order in which they were acted; for they were not printed in that order. If Sir Martin Marr-all, another comedy of our author's, did not appear before the Affignation, it came out at much the fame time, as may be gathered from the prologue to a play of Ravenscroft's called the Carelefs Lovers, in which mention is made of both thefe pieces having met with no very kind reception.

In 1673, our author's thirteenth play was exhibited at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane: it was entituled Amboina, or the Cruelties of the Dutch to the English Merchants, a tragedy; and published with a dedication to Lord Clifford of Chudleigh. Thought written in a month, it fucceeded well on the stage, the fubject being very popular, as we were then at war with Holland.

In 1675 he introduced a comedy to the stage, called the Miftaken Hufband. It was not his own, though it has been attributed to him; but he protected it as an orphan, and embellished it with one fcene and an epilogue.

Aureng-Zebe, a tragedy, came out in 1676. The fcene lies at Agra in the Eaft-Indies, and is founded on a true ftory related by feveral hiftorians, and told at large by Tavernier in his voyages. It is written in rhyme; and in the dedication to the Earl of

Mulgrave, it is faid that King Charles not only preferred it to all the other dramatic works of our poet, but even had some hand in adjusting the contrivance of it.

The State of Innocence, or the Fall of Man, an opera, taken from Paradife Loft, was published in 1678, but never acted. Many beautiful paffages are here transplanted from that excellent poem, and thrown into rhyme. Nat. Lee has prefixed to it a commendatory copy of verses, in which he pays fome compliments to Dryden, at the expence of the immortal Milton: "But thefe," fays our author very juftly in his Apo-. logy for heroic poetry and poetic licence, prefixed to this piece, "ought rather to be esteemed the effect of "Mr. Lee's love than his deliberate and fober judg "ment." It is preceded by a dedication to the duchefs of York, through which runs a moft deli cate ftrain of flattery.

All for Love, or the World well loft, a tragedy, appeared the fame year; and Dryden himself, in the preface to his tranflation of Fresnoy's Art of Painting tells us it is the only thing in the dramatic way which "he ever wrote to please himself." He was particu larly fond of the fine fcene in the firit act between Anthony and Ventidius. This play This play is on all hands allowed to be his beft: he has ftrictly regarded the unities of time, place, and action; and has attemp ed, more than once, to break a lance with Shakespea (whofe Anthony and Cleopatra is on the fame fubject) particularly in the famous defcription of the queen of Egypt's failing down the Cydnus.

Her galley down the filver Cydnus, &c.

How he has fucceeded, we fhall not here take upon us to decide in his ftile he profeffes to have imitated that prince of the drama, and on that account he has difincumbered himself of rhyme; not that he condemns that way of writing, which he fo long used, but because he looks upon blank verfe to be more to his purpose.

In 1679 Nat. Lee, and he in conjunction, produced a play called Oedipus, and Langbaine fets it down as one of the best tragedies we have: the contrivance and difpofition of the scenery with the first and third acts, were entirely our author's, Lee justly claims the reft. The preface is a critique, upon Corneille, the father of the French ftage, who had previously handled the fame ftory.

Two other of his plays appeared in the fame year, viz. Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen; and Troilus and Creffida, or 'Truth found too late. The latter is an alteration from Shakespear, to whofe memory much deference is paid in the preface.

The beginning of this winter, a poem was printed, called an Effay on Satire, in which Sir William Scroggs, lord chief justice of the King's Bench, Willmot earl of Rochester, the dutchefs of Portsmouth, and feveral other remarkable perfonages, were treated with great freedom. Lord Mulgrave and our author wrote it in conjunction, though the nobleman was ambitious enough to endeavour to engross the honour of it to himself. On account of this performance it is thought that Rochester or the dutchefs hired fome ruffians, to revenge their quarrel upon the laureat, which gave rife to the following paragraph in a news-paper of thofe days, called Domeftic Intelligence, or News from both City and Country, numbered 49, dated Tuesday, December 23, 1679.

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"On the 18th inftant in the evening, Mr. Dry"den, the great poet, was fet upon in Rofe-street, "Covent-garden, by three perfons who called him "rogue and fon of a whore, knocked him down and "dangeroutly wounded him: but upon his crying "out murder, they made their efcape: it is conceiv"ed they had their pay before hand, and designed "not to rob him, but to execute on him fome feminine if not popish vengeance." In No. 50 of the fame paper, dated Friday, September 26, 1679, we find this advertisement.

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"Whereas on Thursday the 18th of this inftant, in the evening, Mr. John Dryden was affaulted "and wounded in Rose-street, Covent-garden, by di"verse men unknown. If any perfon fhall make disco66 very of the faid offenders to the faid Mr. Dryden, or "to any justice of peace for the liberty of Weftmin

fter, he fhall not only receive fifty pounds, which "is depofited in the hands of Mr. Blanchard, gold"fmith, next door to Temple-bar, for the faid pur"pofe; but if the discoverer himself be one of the "actors, he fhall have fifty pounds, without letting "his name be known, or receiving the leaft trouble "by profecution." This advertisement was, on the 2d of January following pursued by another: viz.

"Whereas there has been printed of late an ad"vertisement about the discovery of those who af"faulted Mr. Dryden, with promise of pardon and "reward to the difcoverer: for his farther encourage"ment, this is to give notice, that if the faid difco

verer fhall make known the perfon, who incited "him to that unlawful action; not only the discove"rer himself, but any of those who committed the "fact, fhall be freed from all manner of profecution." Notwithstanding these repeated advertisements, both the contrivers and perpetrators of this illicit attack remained always a fecret; but both Rochester and the before mentioned Duchefs were fhrewdly fufpected to be at the bottom of it.

His comedy called Limberham, or the Kind Keeper, was acted thrice in 1680: but thought rather too particular than too loofe; the age not being fo fqueamish as to diflike it on the latter account only. Limberham was applied by the people to the Earl of Lauderdale, who was neither the youngest nor the moft virtuous of men; and this was the true reafon of its being difcontinued: Dryden liked the play himself. He alfo, about this time, published a tranflation of Ovid's Epiftles into English verfe, two of which and the preface were of his own

composition: His Spanish Friar, or the Double Dilcovery, was the product of the following year. This is an admirable tragi-comedy; the ferious part of which is beautifully tender and interefting; and the comic abounds with infinity of wit and humour, yet he somewhere profeffes a diflike to it. But that which established his reputation upon the most folid bafis was the poem of Abfalom and Achitophel, in which he characterised the court of King Charles the Second, in the most lively terms; and what added to the force of his fatire or panegyric, was, through the whole, his firm adherence to truth. It went through feveral editions; and complimentary poems were poured in upon the editor, addreffed to the unknown author, fome of them figned by the greatest wits of the times.

The character of Zimri, in this celebrated fatire, was, without a key, univerfally given to the profligate duke of Buckingham, for whom it was meant. Our author, when first attacked by his grace, had given him no offence, but that of poffeffing a genius fuperior, a genius that like the fun among the stars, fhone out with a fplendor that eclipfed entirely the mob of wits which marked the reign of Charles the Second. The first edition of the Medal or Satire against Sedition, was alfo published about this time." It is a fevere fatire upon the Whigs. His Religio Laici, many tenets of which clash with thofe of the Hind and Panther, was the product of the following year.

In 1683 a play called the Duke of Guife, written by our author and Nat. Lee in conjunction, was acted by his majesty's fervants, not without being ftrongly oppofed by the Whigs, who found a likeness in many parts of it between the Dukes of Monmouth and Guife. The first scene of the fourth act, in which Guise appears as returned to Paris against the king's pofitive command, which exactly corresponded with a fimilar action of Monmouth's, afforded room for