Deep in his ooze he fought his fedgy bed; "And shrunk his waters back into his urf. "This is stolen 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, fpeaking of Al"manzor, "Who, like a tempeft that outrides the wind, "Made a juft battle, ere the bodies join'd. "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; fo that, if he takes it one way, or "if he takes it the other, those two ifs will scarcely "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 Rochester, therefore, was the famous Wilmot, whom yet tradition always reprefents Z 2 represents as an enemy to Dryden, and who is mentioned by him with fome difrefpect 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 ufual complaint of hard treatment and unreafonable cenfure. Amboyna (1673) is a tiffue of mingled dialogue in verfe and profe, and was perhaps written in less time than The Virgin Martyr; though the author thought not fit either oftentatiously or mournfully to tell how little labour it coft 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 less destructive 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 66 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 serious and rifible part, it continued long a favourite of the publick. It was Dryden's opinion, at least for some 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. "Whoever," fays he, cannot perform "both parts, is but half a writer for the stage." 66 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 answered by him ; though at laft 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 promise juft upon the finish 66 ing 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 firft fcene of the play, the "whole fourth act, and the first half, or fomewhat 66 more, of the fifth." This was a play written profeffedly for the party of the Duke of York, whofe fucceffion was then oppofed. A parallel is intended between the Leaguers of France and the Covenanters of England: and this intention produced the controversy. Albion and Albanius (1685) is a mufical drama or opera, written, like The Duke of Guise, against the Republicans. With what fuccefs it was performed, I have not found *. The State of Innocence and Fall of Man (1675) is termed by him an opera: it is rather a tragedy in heroick rhyme, but of which the perfonages are fuch as cannot decently be exhibited on the stage. Some such production was foreseen by Maryel, who writes thus to Milton: "Or if a work fo infinite be spann'd, "Jealous I was left fome less skilful hand "(Such as difquiet always what is well, "And by ill-imitating would excel,) 66 Might hence prefume the whole creation's day "To change in fcenes, and fhew it in a play." It is another of his hafty productions; for the heat of his imagination raised it in a month. This compofition is addreffed to the Princess of Modena, then Dutchefs of York, in a ftrain of flattery which difgraces genius, and which it was wonderful that any man that knew the meaning of his own words could ufe without felf-deteftation. It is an attempt to mingle Earth and Heaven, by praifing human excellence in the language of Religion. * Downes fays, it was performed on a very unlucky day, viz. that on which the Duke of Monmouth landed in the Weft; and he intimates, that the confternation into which the kingdom was thrown by this event was a reason why it was performed but fix times, and was in general ill received. H. The The preface contains an apology for heroick verfe and poetick licence; by which is meant not any liberty taken in contracting or extending words, but the ufe of bold fictions and ambitious figures. The reason which he gives for printing what was never acted cannot be overpaffed: "I was induced "to it in my own defence, many hundred copies of "it being difperfed abroad without my knowledge. *or confent; and every one gathering new faults, "it became at length a libel against me." Thefe copies, as they gathered faults, were apparently manufcript; and he lived in an ag very unlike ours, if many hundred copies of fourteen hundred lines were likely to be tranfcribed. An author has a right to print his own works, and need not feek an apology in falfehood; but he that could bear to write the dedication felt no pain in writing the preface. Aureng Zebe (1676) is a tragedy founded on the actions of a great prince then reigning, but over nations not likely to employ their criticks upon the tranfactions of the English ftage. If he had known and difliked his own character, our trade was not in those times fecure from his refentment. His country is at fuch a diftance, that the manners might be fafely falfified, and the incidents feigned; for the remoteness of place is remarked, by Racine, to afford the fame conveniencies to a poet as length of time. This play is written in rhyme, and has the appearance of being the most elaborate of all the dramas. The perfonages are imperial; but the dia |