"voluntarily reduced himself, and of which he " has no reason to be afhamed."

This play appeared in 1694. It is faid to have been unsuccessful. The catastrophe, proceeding merely from a change of mind, is confeffed by the author to be defective. Thus he began and ended his dramatick labours with ill fuccefs.

From fuch a number of theatrical pieces, it will be fuppofed, by moft readers, that he must have improved his fortune; at least, that fuch diligence with fuch abilities muft have fet penury at defiance. But in Dryden's time the drama was very far from that universal approbation which it has now obtained. The playhouse was abhorred by the Puritans, and avoided by those who defired the character of seriousnefs or decency. A grave lawyer would have debased his dignity, and a young trader would have impaired his credit, by appearing in thofe manfions of diffolute licentioufnefs. The profits of the theatre, when fo many claffes of the people were deducted from the audience, were not great; and the poet had, for a long time, but a fingle night. The firft that had two nights was Southern; and the first that had three was Rowe. There were, however, in thofe days, arts of improving a poet's profit, which Dryden forbore to practise; and a play therefore feldom produced him more than a hundred pounds, by the accumulated gain of the third night, the dedication, and the copy.

Almost every piece had a dedication, written with fuch elegance and luxuriance of praife, as neither haughtiness nor avarice could be imagined able to refift. But he feems to have made flattery too

cheap.

cheap. That praife is worth nothing of which the price is known.

To increase the value of his copies, he often accompanied his work with a preface of criticifm; a kind of learning then almost new in the English language, and which he, who had confidered with great accuracy the principles of writing, was able to diftribute copioufly as occafions arofe. By thefe differtations the publick judgement must have been much improved; and Swift, who converfed with Dryden, relates that he regretted the fuccefs of his own inftructions, and found his readers made fuddenly too skilful to be eafily fatisfied.

His prologues had fuch reputation, that for fome time a play was confidered as lefs likely to be well received, if fome of his verses did not introduce it. The price of a prologue was two guineas, till, being afked to write one for Mr. Southern, he demanded three; "Not," faid he, " young man, out of difrefpect to you, but the players have had my goods too cheap." Though he declares, that in his own opinion his genius was not dramatick, he had great confidence in his own fertility; for he is faid to have engaged, by contract, to furnish four plays a year.

"

It is certain that in one year, 1678*, he publifhed All for Love, Affignation, two parts of the Conqueft of Granada, Sir Martin Marr-all, and the State of Innocence, fix complete plays, with a celerity of performance, which, though all Langbaine's charges of plagiarism fhould be allowed, fhews fuch facility

* Dr. Johnfon in this affertion was mifled by Langbaine. Only one of thefe plays appeared in 1678. Nor were there more than three in any one year. The dates are now added from the original editions. R.

of

of compofition, fuch readiness of language, and fuch copiousness of fentiment, as, fince the name of Lopez de Vega, perhaps no other author has ever poffeffed.

He did not enjoy his reputation, however great, nor his profits, however fmall, without moleftation. He had criticks to endure, and rivals to oppose. The two moft diftinguished wits of the nobility, the Duke of Buckingham and Earl of Rochester, declared themfelves his enemies.

Buckingham characterised him, in 1671, by the name of Bayes in the Rehearfal: a farce which he is faid to have written with the affiftance of Butler, the author of Hudibras; Martin Clifford, of the Charterhoufe; and Dr. Sprat, the friend of Cowley, then his Chaplain. Dryden and his friends laughed at the length of time, and the number of hands, employed upon this performance; in which, though by fome artifice of action it yet keeps poffeffion of the ftage, it is not poffible now to find any thing that might not have been written without fo long delay, or a confederacy fo numerous.

To adjust the minute events of literary hiftory, is tedious and troublefome; it requires indeed no great force of understanding, but often depends upon enquiries which there is no opportunity of making, or is to be fetched from books and pamphlets not always at hand.

The Rehearsal was played in 1671 *, and yet is represented as ridiculing paffages in the Conquest of Granada and Affignation, which were not published

It was published in 1672. R.

The Conquest of Granada, was published in 1672; The Affignation, in 1673; Marriage à-la-mode in the fame year, and Tyrannick Love, in 1672.

till 1678; in Marriage à-la-mode, published in 1673 and in Tyrannick Love, in 1677. Thefe contradictions fhew how rafhly fatire is applied.

It is faid that this farce was originally intended against Davenant, who, in the first draught, was characterised by the name of Bilboa. Davenant had been a foldier and an adventurer.

There is one paffage in the Rehearsal ftill remaining, which feems to have related originally to Davenant. Bayes hurts his nofe, and comes in with brown paper applied to the bruife; how this affected Dryden, does not appear. Davenant's nofe had fuffered fuch diminution by mifhaps among the women, that a patch upon that part evidently denoted him.

It is faid likewife that Sir Robert Howard was once meant. The defign was probably to ridicule the reigning poet, whoever he might be.

Much of the perfonal fatire, to which it might owe its first reception, is now loft or obfcured. Bayes probably imitated the drefs, and mimicked the manner, of Dryden: the cant words which are fo often in his mouth may be fuppofed to have been Dryden's habitual phrases, or cuftomary exclamations. Bayes, when he is to write, is blooded and purged: this, as Lamotte relates himself to have heard, was the real practice of the poet.

There were other ftrokes in the Rehearsal by which malice was gratified; the debate between Love and Honour, which keeps prince Volfcius in a fingle boot, is faid to have alluded to the misconduct of the Duke of Ormond, who loft Dublin to the rebels while he was toying with a mistress.

The Earl of Rochefter, to fupprefs the reputation of Dryden, took Settle into his protection, and en

deavoured

deavoured to perfuade the publick that its approbation had been to that time mifplaced. Settle was a while in high reputation; his Empress of Morocco, having firft delighted the town, was carried in triumph to Whitehall, and played by the ladies of the court. Now was the poetical meteor at the higheft; the next moment began its fall. Rochester withdrew his patronage; feeming refolved, fays one of his biographers, "to have a judgement contrary to that of the town;" perhaps being unable to endure any reputation beyond a certain height, even when he had himself contributed to raise it.

Neither criticks nor rivals did Dryden much mifchief, unless they gained from his own temper the power of vexing him, which his frequent burfts of resentment give reafon to fufpect. He is always angry at fome past, or afraid of fome future cenfure; but he leffens the fmart of his wounds by the balm of his own approbation, and endeavours to repel the shafts of criticism by oppofing a shield of adamantine confidence.

The perpetual accufation produced against him,' was that of plagiarism, against which he never attempted any vigorous defence; for though he was perhaps fometimes injurioufly cenfured, he would, by denying part of the charge, have confeffed the reft; and, as his adverfaries had the proof in their own hands, he, who knew that wit had little power against facts, wifely left, in that perplexity which it generally produces, a queftion which it was his interest to fupprefs, and which, unlefs provoked by vindication, few were likely to examine.

Though the life of a writer, from about thirty-five

to