"But he's a man of general learning, and all comes " into his play. "Twould have done well too if he could have "met with the rant or two, worth the obfervation: "fuch as, "Move swiftly, Sun, and fly a lover's pace, "Leave months and weeks behind thee in thy race. "But furely the Sun, whether he flies a lover's "or not a lover's pace, leaves weeks and months, "nay years too, behind him in his race. "Poor Robin, or any other of the Philo-mathe"maticks, would have given him fatisfaction in the ❝ point. 66 "If I could kill thee now, thy fate 's fo low, "That all thy men, "Piled on thy back, can never pull it down. << zor, "Now where that is, Almanzor's fate is fixt, I "cannot guefs; but, wherever it is, I believe Almanand think that all Abdalla's fubjects, piled upon one another, might not pull down his fate ❝so well as without piling: befides, I think Abdalla "fo wife a man, that, if Almanzor had told him piling his men upon his back might do the feat, "he would scarcely bear fuch a weight, for the plea"fure of the exploit; but it is a huff, and let Ab"dalla do it if he dare. "The people like a headlong torrent go, "And every dam they break or overflow. VOL. IX. But, But, unoppos'd, they either lose their force, "Or wind in volumes to their former course : a very pretty allufion, contrary to all fenfe or "reason. Torrents, I take it, let them wind never "fo much, can never return to their former course, "unless he can fuppofe that fountains can go up"wards, which is impoffible: nay more, in the fore going page he tells us fo too: a trick of a very "unfaithful memory. "But can no more than fountains upward flow; "which of a torrent, which fignifies a rapid ftream, "is much more impoffible. Befides, if he goes to "quibble, and fay that it is poffible by art water may be made return, and the fame water run twice "in one and the fame channel; then he quite con"futes what he fays; for it is by being oppofed, "that it runs into its former courfe; for all engines "that make water fo return, do it by compulfion "and oppofition. Or, if he means a headlong tor"rent for a tide, which would be ridiculous, yet "they do not wind in volumes, but come fore-right "back (if their upright lies ftraight to their former course), and that by oppofition of the sea-water, "that drives them back again. "And for fancy, when he lights of any thing "like it, 'tis a wonder if it be not borrowed. As "here, for example of, I find this fanciful thought "in his Ann. Mirab. "Old father Thames rais'd up his reverend head: "But fear'd the fate of Simoeis would return; "Deep Deep in his ooze he fought his fedgy bed; "And fhrunk his waters back into his urn. "This is ftolen from Cowley's Davideis, p. 9. "This Almanzor fpeaks of himself; and fure for one man to conquer an army within the city, and "another without the city, at once, is fomething "difficult but this flight is pardonable to fome we meet with in Granada: Ofmin, speaking of Al66 manzor, 61 "Who, like a tempeft that outrides the wind, "Pray what does this honourable perfon mean by a "tempeft that outrides the wind! a tempeft that out"rides itself. To fuppofe a tempeft without wind, "is as bad as fuppofing a man to walk without feet; "for if he fuppofes the tempeft to be fomething "diftinct from the wind, yet, as being the effect of "wind only, to come before the cause is a little "prepofterous; so that, if he takes it one way, or if "he takes it the other, thofe two ifs will fcarcely "make one poffibility." Enough of Settle. Marriage à la mode (1673) is a comedy dedicated to the Earl of Rochefter; whom he acknowledges' not only as the defender of his poetry, but the promoter of his fortune. Langbaine places this play in 1673. The Earl of Rochefter, therefore, was the famous Wilmot, whom yet tradition always represents as an enemy to Dryden, and who is mentioned by him with fome disrespect in the preface to Juvenal. The Affignation, or Love in a Nunnery, a comedy (1673), was driven off the stage, against the opinion, as the author fays, of the best judges. It is dedicated, in a very elegant addrefs, to Sir Charles Sedley; in which he finds an opportunity for his usual complaint of hard treatment and unreafonable cenfure. Amboyna (1673) is a tiffue of mingled dialogue in verfe and profe, and was perhaps written in lefs time than The Virgin Martyr; though the author thought not fit either oftentatioufly or mournfully to tell how little labour it cost him, or at how fhort a warning he produced it. It was a temporary performance, written in the time of the Dutch war, to inflame the nation against their enemies; to whom he hopes, as he declares in his Epilogue, to make his poetry not lefs deftructive than that by which Tyrtæus of old animated the Spartans. This play was written in the fecond Dutch war, in 1673. Troilus and Creffida (1679) is a play altered from Shakspeare; but fo altered, that, even in Langbaine's opinion, "the laft fcene in the third act is a maf"ter-piece." It is introduced by a discourse "on the Grounds of Criticifm in Tragedy," to which I fufpect that Rymer's book had given occafion. The Spanish Fryar (1681) is a tragi-comedy, eminent for the happy coincidence and coalition of the two plots. As it was written against the Papifts, it would naturally at that time have friends and ene mies; and partly by the popularity which it obtained at first, and partly by the real power both of the ferious and rifible part, it continued long a favourite of the publick. It was Dryden's opinion, at leaft for fome time, and he maintains it in the dedication of this play, that the drama required an alternation of comick and tragick scenes; and that it is neceffary to mitigate by alleviations of merriment the preffure of ponderous events, and the fatigue of toilfome paffions. "Who"ever," fays he, "cannot perform both parts, is but "half a writer for the ftage." The Duke of Guife, a tragedy (1683), written in conjunction with Lee, as Oedipus had been before, feems to deserve notice only for the offence which it gave to the remnant of the Covenanters, and in general to the enemies of the court, who attacked him with great violence, and were anfwered by him; though at last he feems to withdraw from the conflict, by transferring the greater part of the blame or merit to his partner. It happened that a contract had been made between them, by which they were to join in writing a play: and "he happened," fays Dryden," to claim the promife juft upon the finishing of a poem, when I would have been glad of a little refpite.-Two-thirds of it belonged to him; and to me only the first scene of the play, the whole fourth act, and the first half, or "fomewhat more, of the fifth." 66 66 68 op This was a play written profeffedly for the party of the Duke of York, whofe fucceffion was then pofed. A parallel is intended between the Leaguers |