commence the Effays, Dedications, and Prefaces, of Dryden, arranged nearly in chronological order. The firft of thefe is the Effay on Dramatic Poefy, originally published in quarto, in 1668; and the volume concludes with the Dedication of Aurengzebe, first printed in 1676. The fecond volume begins with the Dedication of All for Love, printed in 1678, and ends with that prefixed to the Life of St. Francis Xavier, which appeared in 1688. The third volume opens with his Preface to the Tranflation of Ovid's Epiftles, and concludes with that prefixed to his laft work, the Fables, published in 1700. Among thefe, there is one piece which is not by Dryden, namely, the Preface to Sir Robert Howard's Plays (vol. i, pii, page 15) which is inferted as maintaining the opinion oppofite to that of Dryden, refpecting plays in rhyme; though this is not stated explicitly enough by the editor. This Preface gave rife to the Effay on Dramatic Poefy, to which it is here prefixed, together with Dryden's own Dedication of the Rival Ladies, under the title of Prolegomena to the Effay.

Even the affiduity of Mr. Malone has not been able to obtain much new matter for the Life of Dryden, and the reader must by no means expect to find the information refpecting the poet proportioned to the bulk of the volume. What was in his power the biographer has performed; he has inveftigated the current traditions refpecting his author, fome of which he has confirmed and fome refuted. He has afcertained the chronology of his works, and explained the circumftances of their publication. Occafionally he has made large excursions refpeeing perfons or cuftoms connected with the incidents of Dryden's Life; as concerning the office of Laureat, p. 78, 205, &c. the Odes performed in honour of St. Cecilia, P. 255-300; the Kit-cat Club, p. 525; and the Knights of the Toaft, part ii, p. 112. Even the recent questions concerning the author of Junius's Letters, and the termination of the Century, are introduced and difcuffed; and thus a book is.compofed, in which information muft undoubtedly be found, though not always of the kind that might be expected. The Letters fubjoined to the Life are arranged, judicioufly in our opinion, in chronological order; perhaps they would have been with till more advantage interwoven in the narrative, and inferted in thofe parts which they were particularly calculated to illuftrate. That they are not more numerous, or more important, will be regretted by many readers; but we do not number ourselves with thofe who would with a part of them omitted as too trivial for infertion. An authentic Letter from a man of eminence, written more than a century ago, however uninteresting the fubject, cannot eafily fail to illuftrate fomething, either of the

writer's

Writer's character, or the, manners of his time; and they who fee nothing in them, are generally related to the traveller, to whom all was barren between Dan and Beersheba. The barrenness is not in the fubject, but in the mind of the fpectator. Anxious to obtain, if poffible, more relics of his author's pen, Mr. M. has concluded the Appendix to his Life, by a paper fpecifying the perfons in whofe cabinets Letters written by Dryden may probably be found. Participating in the with to have fuch materials brought forward, we shall probably take occafion, before we quit the fubject of thefe volumes, to reprint that lift, that we may give it more effectual circulation. We fhall now infert one or two fpecimens from the Life of Dryden, in doing which, our choice will naturally be led to thofe parts in which former errors are corrected. The engagement of the poet with the theatre, and the number of plavs actually produced by him in confequence, are thus related by the present biographer.

"Not long after the recommencement of dramatic exhibitions in London, our author took a more fecure method of obtaining emolument from his dramas, than the patronage of any individual, however élevated by rank or fortune, could afford: that of contracting with the King's Theatre for an annual ftipend, on condition of furnishing a certain number of plays in each year. The emolument was agreed to be one share and a quarter, out of twelve fhares and three quarters of a share, into which the theatrical stock was divided; which is ftated by the players to have produced him, communibus annis, between three and four hundred pounds a year. With refpect to the number of plays ftipulated to be written, there is as a great variation of statement in this. as in almost all traditional tales; nor would it have been easy to find out the truth, were it not for an authentic document by which it is afcertained. Dr. Johnfon, misled probably by the Key to the Rehearsal, published a few years after Dryden's death, has faid that he contracted to produce four plays a year: Cibber, on the other hand, says two: but the true number which he agreed to write was three; as appears from a memorial yet extant, prefented probably to the Lord Chamberlain about the year 1678*. The reasoning upon this contract has not been lefs vague than the account of the ftipulations which it contained; for it has been faid, and repeated from book to book, that it is not to be wondered at that our author's dramatic pieces fhould frequently have been incorrect, when he was under the neceffity of writing for bread, and producing three or four plays a year. It is certain," fays Dr. Johnfon, following Jacob," that in one year (1678) he pub

66

This paper is now in the poffeffion of Mr. Ifaac Reed, and com. plains of Dryden's giving Edipus to the Duke's company, notwithftanding his contract.

U

BRIT, CRIT. VOL. XVI, SEPT. 1800,

lifhed

lifhed All for Love, Affignation, trvo parts of the Conquest of Granada, Sir Martin Mar-all, and the State of Innocence, fix complete plays; with a celerity of execution, which, though all Langbaine's charges of plagiarifm fhould be allowed, fhews fuch facility of compofition, fuch readiness of language, and fuch copiousness of sentiment, as fince the time of Lopez de Vega, perhaps no other author has poffeffed." But this ftatement is wholly unfounded: for not one of these plays was produced or originally printed in 1678, except All for Love; and the truth is, that whatever may have been Dryden's facility of compofition (which unquestionably was extraordinary) he does not appear to have produced more plays within a limited time than many other dramatic writers; nor, whatever allowances may be made for the imperfection of his plays, has he any right to our indulgence on the plea of having frequently (if ever) produced three plays in a year. The contract was probably entered into in the latter end of the year 1667. In the month of January, 1671-2, the theatre which had been built in Drury-Lane but a few years before, was burnt down, and the King's company were compelled to remove to the play-house in Lincoln's-InnFields, which had not long before been deferted by their antagonists, the Duke of York's fervants, who had gone to their new house in Dorfet Gardens. The King's fervants continued to play in Lincoln'sInn-Fields, till a new theatre was conftructed for them by Sir Chriftopher Wren on the old fite in Drury-Lane; which was opened on the 26th of March, 1674, with a Prologue and Epilogue by our author, and continued standing till a few years ago. Between 1667, and March, 1674, that is in about feven years, Dryden produced but ten plays, or about three plays in every two years. If we extend the account to a later period, December, 1682, when for a certain time he difcontinued writing for the ftage, we shall find, that in fixteen years, eighteen dramas only were produced (allowing the State of Innocence though never acted, to be one) which is a little more than a play in each year. The era of his greatest exertion feems to have been from 1667 to 1670; in which period probably he wrote five or fix plays. From this flatement it is clear, that though our author was indifputa bly distinguished for facility of compofition, other dramatic poets have equalled, if not furpaffed him in this particular. There is good ground for believing that Shakspeare for feveral years produced two plays in each year; and Fletcher, in the laft ten years of his life, appears to have furnished the fcene with more than thirty dramas, in fome of which, however, he was affifted by Maflinger, Rowley, and other playwrights." P. 71.

The lift of Dryden's plays, arranged in the order of writing by himself, and prefixed to his King Arthur, is given by Mr. Malone, with additional notices of the place where they were acted, and the time of publication (in p. 218); and fo far confirms the statement of the preceding paffage, that in the whole lift only three plays (and one of them the State of Innocence) bear the date of the one year, and that is 1673. But as the time of publication may not always regularly follow the time

of

of writing, there may be fome uncertainty in the inference drawn from this circumftance.

The falfe account of Dryden's funeral, as fabricated by Mrs. E. Thomas, called Corinna, having obtained too much cur rency, we fhall infert the true narrative, as inveftigated by Mr. Malone.

"The plain and fimple fact on which the conftructed her narrative, was this. Dryden, as has been already mentioned, expired on Wednefday morning, the firft of May (1700). Having died of a gan grene, it was neceffary that he fhould be buried fpeedily, and accordingly, two days afterwards, on Friday morning, (not Saturday as Mrs. Thomas ftates) his corpfe, at the expence of Mr. Montague, afterwards Lord Halifax, was carried from his houfe in a very private manner, to be interred, probably in the church-yard of the neighbouring parish. The Earl of Dorfet, Lord Jefferies*, and fome others, either hearing of his intention on that day, or meeting the proceffion as it moved along, and thinking fo great a poet entitled to a more fplendid funeral, prevailed on the relations and friends who attended his remains, to confent that the body should be carried, for the purpose of embalment, to the house of Mr. Ruffel, a celebrated undertaker; and the fame day, with the affiftance probably of Dr. Garth, they applied to the Prefident and Cenfors of the College of Phyficians, to grant permiffion that the corpfe fhould be depofited there, and at the proper time fhould be thence conveyed to Westminster-Abbey for interment; a request which was unanimoufly granted. At the first view it may appear a fingular circumftance, that none of the admirers of Dryden fhould have undertaken to defray the expence neceffary to be made on this occafion; which including the funeral bak'd meats and other refreshments at the College of Physicians, the Abbey fees, and the undertaker's charge, could not have amounted to more than one hundred and twenty pounds: but probably it was thought more honourable to him that this fum fhould be raised by the contribution of his friends, than defrayed by any fingle perfon. A fubfcription was accordingly made for this purpofe. The body having lain in ftate for ten days, Monday, the 13th of May, was appointed for the proceffion to Westminster-Abbey; in the afternoon of which day a great number of perfons of quality, and others, affembled in the Hall of the College, where for fome time they were foothed with mournful mufic. An eloquent oration in Latin was then pronounced in the theatre by Dr. Garth; after which the last Ode of the 3d Book of Horace-Exegi monumentum ære perennius, &c. was fung. The proceffion then fet forward to Westminster-Abbey, confifting of a hearse drawn by fix horfes, honourably attended by many noblemen and gentlemen in near fifty coaches, and preceded by a band of mufic; and the remains of Dryden were interred in the grave of Chaucer, with all due folemnity, one of the prebendaries reading the funeral service, and the choir at

The only fon of the Chancellor,
U 2

tending.

tending. All the circumftances therefore of Bifhop Sprat's firft pro pofition, the day after our author died,-of Lord Jefferies and the Seventy-two gentlemen who, we are told, crowded into his widow's bed chamber; of Dr. Garth falling into a rotten beer-barrel; of the non attendance of the choir, and want of an organ; of the two finging-boys chanting an Ode of Horace, in the Abbey, each of them holding a small candle in his hand; of the mob breaking in fo as to prevent any more than eight or ten gentlemen gaining admittance, who cut their way with drawn fwords; and, finally, of Mr. Charles Dryden challenging Lord Jefferies, and never being able to meet with him; all these circumstances, and many others of inferior note, were merely the nimble shapes and lively effufions of Corinna's forgetive imagination." P. 367.

Among other points which the prefent biographer has traced out, the reader will be pleafed at finding that the circumstances of Dryden were never fo low as it has been ufual to fuppofe, and that for by much the greater portion of his life, he enjoyed what must have been at that period a handfome competence. Of Dryden's 45 Letters, the most important, perhaps, is that addreffed to John Dennis (afterwards notorious by the attacks. of Pope) whom he treats with great refpect, not only as a critic, but as a poet. His Letters to Jacob Tonfon afford fome curious illuftrations of his literary history; and the 16 Letters to his fair, and apparently amiable, coufin, Mrs. Steward*, of Cotterstock in Northamptonfhire, convey a very pleasing picture of him in private life, and give alfo fome fingular features of the modes and manners then prevalent; particularly Letter 27 and 35, defcribing two journies in the Oundle Coach, of two days each. To increase, if poffible, the chance of obtaining more Letters of this author, we shall here, as we promifed, infert No. V. of the Appendix.

Perfons in whofe Cabinets letters written by Dryden may probably be found.

The Earl of Exeter.

The reprefentatives of James, the fecond Duke of Ormond.
The Earl of Lauderdale.

The reprefentatives of Thomas Howard, the firft Earl of Berkshire. The reprefentatives of Catharine, Dutchefs of Buckinghamshire, who died March 13, 1743.

Lord Clifford.

The reprefentatives of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochefter; probably the Earl of Sandwich, and the Earl of Lifburne.

The reprefentatives of Laurence Hyde, Earl of Rochester. Qu. the Earl of Clarendon ?

* Communicated by her grand-daughter, Mrs, Gwillim, of Whitchurch, near Rofs, in Herefordshire,

The