THE LIFE OF DRYDEN. displayed in their contexture. Dryden's are more natural and free, and while they communicat their own sprightly motion to the fpirits of the reader, hurry him along with a gentle and pleasing violence, without giving him time either to animadvert on their faults, or to analyse their beauties. Pope excels in folemnity of found; Dryden in an eafy melody and boundless variety of rhyme. In this last refpect, I think I could prove that he is fuperior to all other English poets, Milton himself not excepted. Till Dryden appeared, none of our writers in rhyme of the last century approached in any measure to the harmony of Spenfer and Fairfax. Of Waller, it can only be faid, that he is not harsh. Of Denham and Cowley, if a few couplets were ftruck out of their works, we could not fay fo much. But, in Dryden's hands, the English rhyming couplet affumed a new form, and feems hardly to be fufceptible of any farther improvement." His poetical character is given by Dr. Johnson, with a fagacity of discrimination, and a felicity of expreffion, which far tranfcend all praise. "In a general furvey of Dryden's labours," fays that judicious and claffical critic, " he appears to have a mind very comprehensive by nature, and much enriched with acquired knowledge. His compofitions are the effects of a vigorous genius operating upon large materials. "The power that predominated in his intellectual operations was rather strong reason than quick fenfibility. Upon all occafions that were presented, he ftudied rather than felt, and produced fentiments not such as nature enforces, but meditation supplies. With the ample and elemental paffions, as they fpring and operate in the mind, he feems not much acquainted, and feldom defcribes them but as they are complicated by the various relations of society, and confused in the tumults and agitations of life. "He is therefore, with all his variety of excellencé, not often pathetic, and had fo little fenfibility of the power of effufions purely natural, that he did not esteem it in others. Simplicity gave him no pleasure, and, for the first part of his life, he looked on Otway with contempt; though at last," indeed very late, he confeffed that in his play there was Nature, which is the chief beauty. "The favourite exercise of his mind was ratiocination. Next to argument, his delight was in wild and daring fallies of fentiment, in the irregular and eccentric violence of wit. He delighted to tread upon the brink of meaning, where light and darkness begin to mingle, to approach the precipice of abfurdity, and hover over the abyfs of unideal vacancy. "He was no lover of labour. What he thought fufficient he did not stop to make better, and allowed himself to leave many parts unfinished, in confidence that the good lines would overbalance the bad. What he had once written, he dismissed from his thoughts, and, I believe, there is no example to be found of any correction or improvement made by him after publication. The hastiness of his productions might be the effect of neceffity; but his fubfequent neglect could hardly have any other cause than impatience of ftudy. "Some improvements had been already made in English numbers, but the full force of our language was not yet felt: the verfe that was smooth, was commonly feeble. If Cowley had fometimes a finifhed line, he had it by chance. Dryden knew how to choose the flowing and the fonorous words; to vary the paufes, and adjust the accents; to diverfify the cadence, and yet preserve the fmoothnefs of his metre. "Of Dryden's works it was faid by Pope, that " he could felect from them better specimens of every mode of poetry, than any other English writer could fupply." Perhaps no nation ever produced a writer that enriched his language with fuch variety of models, To him we owe the improvement, perhaps the completion of our metre, the refinement of our language, and much of the correctness of our fentiments. By him we were taught "fapere et fari," to think naturally, and exprefs forcibly. Though Davies has reafoned in rhime before him, it may be perhaps maintained that he was the firft who joined argument with poetry. He fhowed us the true bounds of a tanf lator's liberty. What was faid of Rome, adorned by Auguftus, may be applied by an eafy metaphor to English poetry, embellished by Dryden, "lateritiam invenit, marmoream reliquit." He found it brick, and he left it marble." ORIGINAL POEM S. UPON THE DEATH OF LORD HASTINGS. Most noble Haftings immaturely die, Is death, fin's wages, grace's now? shall art Rare linguift, whofe worth fpeaks itself, whofe praise, Though not his own, all tongues befides do raife: His native foil was the four parts o' th' earth; Did move on virtue's, and on learning's pole : Graces and virtues, languages and arts, Like rofe-buds, ftuck i' th' lily-skin about. To wail the fault its rifing did commit: Which, rebel like, with its own lord at strife, Muft all these aged fires in one funeral Catarrhs, rheums, aches, live three long ages out? Muft drunkards, lechers, spent with finning, live With fuch helps as broths, poffets, physic give? None live, but fuch as fhould die, fhall we meet With none but ghoftly fathers in the street? Grief makes me rail; forrow will force its way; And showers of tears tempeftuous fighs beft lay. The tongue may fail; but overflowing eyes Will weep out lafting ftreams of elegies. But thou, O virgin-widow, left alone, Now thy beloved, heaven-ravifh'd spouse is gone, Whofe skilful fire in vain ftrove to apply Med'cines, when thy balm was no remedy, With greater than Platonic love, O wed His foul, though not his body, to thy bed: Let that make thee a mother; bring thou forth Th' ideas of his virtue, knowledge, worth; Tranfcribe th' original in new copies; give Haftings o'th' better part; fo fhall he live In's nobler half; and the great grandfire be Of an heroic divine progeny: An iffue, which t' eternity fhall laft, Yet but th' irradiations which he caft. Erect no Mausoleums: for his best Monument is his ipouse's marble breast. War, our confumption, was their gainful trade : To ftaunch the blood by breathing of the vein. Swift and refiftlefs through the land he past, As wands of divination downward draw, [grow. XX. When paft all offerings to Feretrian Jove, He Mars depof'd, and arms to gowns made Successful councils did him foon approve [yield; As fit for close intrigues, as open field. XXI. To fuppliant Holland he vouchsaf'd a peace, XXII. Fame of th' afferted fea through Europe blown, XXIII, No fooner was the Frenchman's caufe embrac'd, His fortune tu.n'd the fcale where'er 'twas caft; XXIV. When abfent, yet we conquer'd in his right: In mingling colours, or in placing light; XXV. For from all tempers he could fervice draw; Like that bold Greek who did the East subdue, | And, as the confidant of nature, faw As if on wings of victory he flew How the complexions did divide and brew. By his command we boldly crofs'd the line, And bravely fought where fouthern stars arise; We trac'd the far-fetch'd gold unto the mine, And that which brib'd our fathers made our prize. A |