with our author; the Surprizal, a tragi-comedy; and the Veftal Virgin, or the Roman Ladies, a tragedy: the laft has two different conclufions, one tragical, and the other, to use the author's own words, comical. The laft five plays were collected together, and published by Tonfon, in a fmall Izmo volume, in 1722. The Blind Lady was printed with fome of his poems. Langbaine speaks in very high terms of Sir Robert's merit, in which he is copied by Giles Jacob. See their Lives of the Poets.

This gentleman was, however, extremely pofitive, remarkably overbearing, and pretending to univerfal knowledge; which failings, joined to his having then been of an opposite party, drew upon him the cenfure of Shadwell, who has fatirized him very feverely in a play, called The Sullen Lovers, under the name of Sir Pofitive At-all, and his lady, whom he firft kept, and afterwards married, under that of Lady Vain.

as ftoics, &c.

The ftoics were a fect of philofophers, founded at Athens by Zeno, remarkable for their equanimity under misfortunes. They taught, that an unavoidable fate prefided over every thing, the courfe of which could not be altered by Jupiter himself. Their opinions were disputed by the Platonists and Perripatetics.

The curious net, &c.

A compliment to a poem of Sir Robert's, entitled Rete Mirabile.

Who drefs'd by Statius, &c.

Publius Papinius Statius, a Neapolitan bard, who lived at Rome in great favor with Domitian. He wrote the Thebaid, an Epic poem, in twelve books, one of which has been translated by Pope; and the Achilleid: the latter is imperfect, and was tranflated by Sir Robert, with annotations; and these our author means to compliment in this passage. There is another translation of it, not yet published, by Mr. Brigantine, a young Oxonian, of excellent abilities.

With Monk you end, &c.

Alluding to a poem of this gentleman's on General Monk.

As Rome recorded Rufus' memory.

P. Rutilius Rufus, conful of Rome, anno civ. 649, having the intereft of his country much at heart, was banished by the influence of fome defigning people; and, retiring to Smyrna, was fo

highly respected, that moft of the Afian potentates fent thither ambaffadors to compliment him. Sylla would have revoked his exile, but he refufed the offer, and gave himself up to ftudy. Cic. in Brut. fpeaks of him as a man of great knowledge and application; a fubtle reafoner, well learned in the law, and an excellent Greek critic. We find thefe two lines written on him: "Hic fitus eft Rufus, qui pulfo vindice quondam "Imperium afferuit non fibi, fed patriæ."

EPISTLE II.

To my honored friend Dr. Charleton, &c.

The book that occafioned this epiftle, made its appearance in quarto in 1663. It is dedicated to King Charles II, and entitled, Chorea Gigantum; or, The most famous Antiquity of Great Britain, Stone-Henge, ftanding on Salisbury-plain, reftored to the Danes by Dr. Walter Charleton, M. D. and Physician in Ordinary to his Majefty. It was written in anfwer to a treatise of Inigo Jones's, which attributed this ftupendous pile to the Romans, fuppofing it to be a temple, by them dedicated to the god Cœlum, or Calus; and here that great architect let his imagination out-run his judgment, nay, his sense; for he described it not as it is, but as it ought to be, in order to make it confiftent with what he delivered. Dr. Charleton, who will have this to be a Danish monument, was countenanced in his opinion by Olaus Wormius, who wrote him feveral letters upon the fubject; yet, that he was mistaken appears by the mention made of StoneHenge in Nennius's Hift. Britonum, a writer who lived two hundred years before the Danes came into England. Tho his book was approved of by many men of great erudition, and is not only very learned, but abounds with curious obfervations, it was but indifferently received, and raifed many clamors against the author.

Envy, however, could not prevent Dr. Charleton's merits from being feen, no divide him from the intimacy of Mr. Hobbes the philofopher; Sir George Ent, a celebrated physician; the noble family of the Boyle's; and Dr. William Harvey, whofe claim to the discovery of the circulation of the blood, he forceably defended against the claim thereto fet on foot by father Paul. Thus he

"From dark oblivion Harvey's name fhall fave."

As that eminent phyfician was now dead, the doctor's behaour upon this point was as generous an instance of gratitude and refpect to his friend's memory, as it was a proof of his capacity and extenfive learning. He was prefident of the college of physicians, from 1689 to 1691, when his affairs being not in the moft flourishing ftate, he retired to the ifle of Jerfy, and died in 1707, aged eighty-eight years.

Among th' affertors of free reafon's, &c.

What follows of this epiftle is looked upon as an elegant and curious review of the ftate of medical and philofophical knowledge in this kingdom for fome preceding years.

The world to Bacon does not only, &c.

Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban's, some time high-chancellor of England, and one of the greatest philosophers of his age. His works were published in 1740, by Millar, in four folio volumes, with a life prefixed by the ingenious David Mallett, Efq; which, for elegance, accuracy, and tafte, is univerfally admired, and reckoned one of the best biographical pieces that ever was produced in this kingdom.

Gilbert fhall live, &c.

Dr. William Gilbert, a learned writer of the feventeenth century, physician both to Queen Elizabeth and King James. Anno 1600, he published a valuable treatife on the magnet, or loadftone, and magnetica! bodies, and of that great magnet the earth.

And noble Boyle, not lefs in nature seen
Than his great brother, &c.

The Hon. Robert Boyle, feventh fon to Richard Earl of Cork and Burlington, was born in 1626-7, at Lismore in Ireland. At eight years of age he was brought into England, and placed at Eton for education, where he continued near four years; and was then removed to Geneva, where he pursued his ftudies with intense application. He afterwards made the tour of Switzerland and Italy, and returning to England, on his father's death lived privately, moftly at Stalbridge and Oxford, during the trou bles. He first planned the Royal Society, of which Dr. Charleton was also one of the first members. He applied himfelf chiefly to philofophical and mathematical ftudies; and we owe to him the invention of the air-pump. His works are numerous, large, and ufeful; his knowledge was very extensive, and his virtues worthy of admiration. He died in 1691, aged fixty

five, and lies buried in the chancel of St. Martin's-in-the-fields London. He was tall, flender, and emaciated, with a pale caft of countenance, weak eyes, and much afflicted with the ftone. The delicacy of his conftitution obliged him to live very abftemiously, and he was a good chriftian.

His brother was the famous Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery, known during the inter-regnum, under the name of Lord Broghill. He was a folid ftatefman, an intrepid foldier, and a good writer. He wrote fome political pieces relating to the affairs of Ireland; befides eight plays, and feveral poems. His first play, entitled Henry the Fifth, was dreffed in cloaths given to the actors by the king and his courtiers. Betterton, who played the part of Owen Tudor, wearing the king's coronation fuit; that of the Duke of York was worn by Joe Harris, whom we shall anon mention as an author, who played King Henry, &c.

The circling ftreams

From dark oblivion Harvey's name shall save ;

While Ent keeps all the honors that he gave.

Dr. William Harvey, an eminent phyfician of the seventeenth century, being lecturer of anatomy and furgery in the college of phyficians, communicated his difcovery of the circulation of the blood in his public lectures of the year 1616, which being afterwards published to the world in the Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et fanguinis, was attacked by Æmilius Parifanus, who wrote a Refutatio Harvei, &c. to which Dr. George Ent printed a reply. He died in his eightieth year, anno 1657.

Thefe ruins fheltered once, &c.

In the dedication, made by Dr. Charleton, of his book, concerning Stone Henge to King Charles II. there is the following memorable paffage, which gave occafion to the fix concluding lines of this poem. "I have had the honor to hear from that "oracle of truth and wisdom, your majesty's own mouth: you

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were pleased to vifit that monument, and, for many hours to"gether, entertain yourself with the delightful view thereof, "when after the defeat of your loyal army at Worcester, Al"mighty God, in infinite mercy to your three kingdoms, mira"culously delivered you out of the bloody jaws of those minifters of fin and cruelty."

EPISTLE III.

To the Lady Cafilemain.

Mr. Dryden's firft play called the Wild Gallant, was exhibited with but indifferent fuccefs. The lady whofe patro

nage he acknowledges in this epistle, was Barbara daughter of William Villiers Lord Grandifon, who was killed in the king's fervice at the battle of Edge-hill in 1642, and buried in Chriftchurch in Oxford. This lady was one of Charles II's favorite miftreffes for many years, and the bore him feveral children. 1. Charles Fitzroy, duke of Southampton; 2. Henry Fitzroy, earl of Eufton and duke of Grafton; 3. George Fitzroy, earl of Northumberland; 4. Charlotta, married to Sir Edward Henry Lee of Ditchley in Oxfordshire, afterwards earl of Litchfield, and brother to Eleonora countess of Abingdon, on whom Dryden has written a beautiful elegy; 5. A daughter, whom the king denied to be his.

This lady was, before she was known to his majesty, married to Roger Palmer efq; who was created earl of Castlemain, by whom he had a daughter, whom the king adopted, and who married with Thomas lord Dacres, earl of Suffex.

The countess of Castlemaine was afterwards created dutchefs of Cleveland.

EPISTLE IV.

To Mr. Lee on his Alexander the Great.

Nat. Lee, the author of Alexander the Great and ten other plays, feemed infpired with all the enthusiasm of a poet. He often writes to the heart; and no man ever touched with more

grace and tenderness on the paffion of love. "His thoughts, fays Addifon, are wonderfully fuited for tragedy; but frequently loft in fuch a croud of words, that it is hard to fee the "beauty of them. There is infinite fire in his works; but fo "involved in smoke, that it does not appear in half its luftre.”

Lee, who was both an author and an actor, was for fome time confined in Bedlam, being in a state of infanity; and is faid to have perished in the streets by night, a coach running over, and crushing him to death. Dryden and he were in ftrict friendship.

EPISTLE V.

To the Earl of Roscommon, &c.

Wentworth Dillon, earl of Rofcommon in Ireland, and a native of that kingdom, was educated under bishop Hall in England, and was looked upon as one of the most hopeful young men of his time. He was captain of the band of penfioners; but gave up his commiffion, when his private affairs called him