the remark, (but we are told in the Vindication, &c.) that it was written twenty years before; fo that, unless Dryden had been endued with a fpirit of prophecy, he could not have meant it as a reflection upon that unfortunate prince.

A pamphlet was written against this tragedy by one Thomas Hunt, entituled, A Defence of the Charter and municipal Rights of the City of London, &c. which the faid Hunt fuppofes herein condemned, and the magiftrates already hung in effigy. I have alfo before me a virulent attack upon it, in three fheets, 4to. called, Some Reflections on the pretended Parallel in the Play of the Duke of Guife, in the compofing of which Shadwell was fuppofed to have been concerned.

To all these, the Vindication of the Duke of Guife, which is generally printed after it, was publifhed by way of anfwer. Here we are told that the Duke of Guife was our author's firft piece, written foon after the Restoration, as the faireft way which the act of indemnity left of expofing the rife of the grand rebellion, or inter-regnum. It did not then appear, because condemned by a few friends in private, as unfit for the stage. It was again taken in hand, in compliance with the defire of Nat. Lee, with whom Dryden had promised to join in a fecond dramatic venture, in confequence of the fuccefs of Oedipus. Mr. Lee wrote two thirds of it, and our author the reft: viz. the firft fcene of the first act, the whole fourth act, and half, or rather more, of the fifth.

In the year 1684, he published Maimbourg's Hiftory of the League, tranflated from the French, by the king's especial defire, on account of the plain parallel fubfifting between the troubles of France and England. His next piece was Threnodia Auguftalis, a poem, facred to the memory of the king. It appeared in the year 1685, as did an opera of his, entituled, Albion and Albanius, acted at the Queen's

Theatre in Dorfet-garden; the fubject is wholly allegorical: the man on the pedestal, with a lean pale face, and ferpents fucking poifon from his fides, is fuppofed to be intended for Shaftesbury corrupting the principles of his followers.

James the Second, on his acceffion, having imprudently enough caufed to be published two papers, faid to be found in the ftrong box of the late king, and one left by the duchess of York, both being a fort of Vindication of fome tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, they were answered by the very ingenious Dr. Stillingfleet: to whom our author, now a profeffed papift, made a reply which he calls, A Defence of the Papers written by the late King, of blessed Memory, and duchess of York, against the Answer made to them. This pamphlet contains 126 pages, befides the title and preface, and came out in 1686. BY COMMAND. The Hind and Panther, with which our fecond volume begins, appeared in 1687; the birth of a prince in 1688 occafioned a poem on that head and his translation of the Life of St. Francis Xavier, from the French of Bouhors, came out alfo this year.

He had been about this time employed in tranflating Varilla's Hiftory of Herefies, but laid the defign afide; and this Dr. Burnet tells us he was induced to do, because he (the Dr.) had published reflexions on the work, that quite destroyed the credit of the author. He was difmiffed from the office of poet-laureat at the revolution, and its being conferred on Tom Shadwell, was a more fenfible mortification to him than his difmiffion: this gave rife to his beautiful fatire of Mac Flecnoe, the first edition of which bears date 1689. His penfion was generously continued to him by the munificent Earl of Dorfet, who was lord-chamberlain to King William, out of his own private purfe; and grateful mention is made of our author's obligations to that elegant nobleman in the dedication of the Satires of Juvenal and Perfius.

The tragedy of Don Sebaftian was exhibited at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, anno 1690; but being infupportably long, was curtailed even after the firft night's performance. The dedication of this performance to Sydney, Earl of Leicester, is a remarkably fine piece of writing.

Amphytrion, or, the Two Socias, a comedy, founded on Plautus and Moliere, was prefented the fame year; as was alfo the dramatic opera of King Arthur, or, the British Worthy and both were received with very high applause.

In 1692, he gave his excellent tragedy of Cleomenes to the stage, and dedicated the copy of it to Laurence, Earl of Rochester, fecond fon to the great Earl of Clarendon. The tranflation of Juvenal, in which he had a confiderable fhare: and that of Perfius, which was entirely his own, were first published in 1693. In the dedication, which is a long and beautiful discourse to the Earl of Dorfet, he lays down a plan, according to which he intended to have erected an epic poem, and which Sir Richard Blackınore carried into execution in his poem of King Arthur. Dryden expreffes the utmost contempt both for the piece and the man. His laft dramatic piece is a tragicomedy, called Love-Triumphant, or, Nature will prevail, which is dedicated to James, earl of Salisbury, and was prefented in 1694.

In 1695 our author published a tranflation into profe of Du Fresnoy's celebrated Latin Poem on the Art of Painting; to which he has prefixed a long preface, in which there is a parallel of poetry and painting. At this time he was engaged in tranflating all Vir. gil's works they did not make their appearance till 1697; and though greatly admired, paffed not without being feverely cenfured. "But none, (fays Pope) "criticised upon them fo fairly as Milbourne; who at "the fame time that he abufed his tranflation, did "Mr. Dryden the juftice to print his own, which was "intolerable."

2

The last capital work which he executed, was his Fables, collected from Homer, Ovid, Boccace, and Chaucer, for which old Jacob Tonfon gave him down 250 guineas; and there being fomething very fingular in the inftrument that paffed between the bard and the bookfeller on this account, we have transcribed it from the original now in Mr. Tonson's hands, as a piece both entertaining and curious.

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I

Do hereby promife to pay John Dryden, Efq; or order, on the 25th of March, 1699, the fum "of two hundred and fifty guineas, in confideration "of ten thousand verses, which the faid John Dry

den, Efq; is to deliver to me Jacob Tonfon, when "finished, whereof feven thousand five hundred verses "more or less, are already in the faid Jacob Ton"fon's poffeffion. And I do hereby farther promise "and engage myself to make up the faid fum of two "hundred and fifty guineas, three hundred pounds ❝fterling to the faid John Dryden, Efq; his executors, administrators, or affigns, at the beginning of "the second impreffion of the faid ten thousand ❝ verses.

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"In witness whereof I have hereunto fet my hand "and feal this twentieth day of March 169.

"JACOB TONSON.

Sealed and delivered, being

first stampt, pursuant to the acts of parliament for that purpose, in the prefence of

BEN. PORTLOCK.

WILL. CONGREVE.

R

March 24th. 1698.

Eceived then of Mr. Jacob Tonfon, the fum of two hundred fixty-eight pounds fifteen "fhillings, in purfuance of an agreement for ten "thousand verses, to be delivered by me to the said "Jacob Tonfon, whereof I have already delivered to him about feven thousand five hundred, more or

lefs; he the faid Jacob Tonfon being obliged to "make up the forefayd fum of 2687. 15 s. od. three "hundred pounds, at the beginning of the fecond "impreffion of the forefayd ten thousand verses.

"I fay received by me

"JOHN DRYDEN.

Witness, CHARLES DRYDEN.

250 Guineas at 17. 15. 6d. - - is -- 2681. 155. od.

This was a very confiderable price for poetry in thofe days; and, together with the bookfeller's fpecifying barely the number of lines, without restricting them either to fubject or revife, fhew that our author's reputation was in very high esteem.

To complete the number of lines, he inferted the epiftle to his cousin John Dryden of Chesterton, for which that gentleman made him a prefent of 500l. and his ode for St. Cecilia's day, entituled Alexander's Feaft, which is unanimously allowed to be the most finished poetical performance in our, or perhaps, in any other modern language. Mr. W. Moyle, who wrote the effays, ufed to fay, "That it was composed "for the Cicilian concert, and that our author "for the use of it received 40/." This volume was introduced into the world with a poetical addrefs to the dutchefs of Ormond, who rewarded the poet with a bill of 500l. as I have been credibly informed by one of his collateral defcendants.

In a manufcript letter to Jacob Tonfon, now under my eye, our author fpeaks thus of his Alexander's Feaft: "I am glad to hear from all hands, that my