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circumstances obliged him to comply with the poptlar taste. He himself, in the dedication to the Spanish Fryar, insinuates as much. "I remember," says he, "some verses of my own Maximin and Almanzor "which cry vengeance upon me for their extrava

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gance. All that I can say for those passages, which are, I hope, not many, is, that I knew they were bad "when I wrote them. But I repent of them amongst "my sins, and if any of their fellows intrude by "chance into my present writings, I draw a veil over "all these Dalilahs of the theatre, and am resolved "I will settle myself no reputation upon the applause "of fools. It is not that I am mortified to all ambi"tion, but I scorn as much to take it from half-witted "judges, as I should to raise an estate by cheating of "bubbles. Neither do I discommend the lofty style "in tragedy, which is naturally pompous and mag"nificent; but nothing is truly sublime that is not "just and proper." He says in another place, " that "his Spanish Fryar was given to the people, and that "he never wrote any thing in the dramatic way to "please himself, but his All for Love."

In 1671 Mr. Dryden was publicly ridiculed on the stage in the Duke of Buckingham's comedy, called The Rehearsal, under the character of Bays. This character, we are informed in the Key to the Rehearsal, was originally intended for Sir Robert Howard, under the name of Bilboa; but the representation be

ing put a stop to, by the breaking out of the plague in 1665, it was laid by for several years, and not exkibited on the stage till 1671, in which interval, Mr. Dryden being advanced to the Laurel, the noble author changed the name of his poet from Bilboa to Bays, and made great alterations in his play, in order to ridicule several dramatic perfomances that appeared since the first writing it. Those of Mr. Dryden which fell under his Grace's lash were The WildGallant, Tyrannic Love, The Conquest of Granada, Marriage à-la-Mode, and Love in a Nunnery; whatever was extravagant, or too warmly expressed, or any way unnatural, the author has ridiculed by parody.

Mr. Dryden affected to despise the satire levelled at him in the Rehearsal, as appears from his dedication of the translation of Juvenal and Persius, where, speaking of the many lampoons and libels that had been written against him, he says, "I answered no to the "Rehearsal, because I knew the author sat to himself "when he drew the picture, and was the very Bays "of his own farce; because also I knew my betters "were more concerned than I was in that satire; and, "lastly, because Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson, the "main pillars of it, were two such languishing gentle16 men in their conversation, that I could liken them "to nothing but their own relations, those noble "characters of men of wit and pleasure about Town." In 1679 came out an Essay on Satire, said to be

written jointly by Mr. Dryden and the Earl of Mulgrave. This piece, which was handed about in manuscript, contained reflections on the Duchess of Portsmouth and the Earl of Rochester; who suspect. ing, as Wood says, Mr. Dryden to be the author, hired three ruffians to cudgel him in Will's coffeehouse at cight o'clock at night. This short anecdote, I think, cannot be told without indignation. It proved Rochester was a malicious coward, and, like other cowards, cruel and insolent; his soul was incapable of any thing that approached towards generosity; and when his resentment was heated, he pursued revenge, and retained the most lafting hatred; he had always entertained a prejudice against Dryden, from no other motive than envy: Dryden's plays met with success, and this was enough to fire the resentment of Rochester, who was naturally envious. In order to hurt the character, and shake the intereft of this noble poet, he recommended Crown, an obscure man, to write a masque for the Court, which was Dryden's province, as Poet-Laureat, to perform. Crown in this succeeded, but soon after, when his play, called The Conqueft of Jerusalem, met with such extravagant applause, Rochester, jealous of his new favourite, not only abandoned him, but commenced from that moment his enemy.

The other person against whom this satire was levelled was not superior in virtue to the former, and

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all the nation over, two better subjects for satire could not have been found than Lord Rochester and the Duchess of Portsmouth. As for Rochester, he had not genius enough to enter the lists with Dryden, so he fell upon another method of revenge, and meanly hired bravoes to assault him.

In 1680 came out a translation of Ovid's Epistle's in English verse, by several hands, two of which were translated by Mr.Dryden, who also wrote the preface. In the year following our Author published Absalom and Achithophel. It was first printed without his name, and is a severe satire against the contrivers and abettors of the opposition against King Charles II. In the same year that Absalom and Achithophel was publish. ed, the Medal, a Satire, was likewise given to the public. This piece is aimed against sedition, and was occasioned by the striking of a medal, on account of the indictment against the Earl of Shaftsbury for high treason being found ignoramus by the grand jury at the Old Bailey, November 1681; for which the Whig party made great rejoicings, by ringing of bells, bonfires, &c. in all parts of London. The poem is introduced with a very satirical epistle to the Whigs, in which the author says, " I have one favour to desire

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you at parting, that when you think of answering this poem, you would employ the same pens "against it who have combated with so much suc"cess against Absalom and Achithophel, for then you Volume I.

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