,,the ,,works ,,of ,,john ,,dryden1 ,,now ,,first ,,collected ,,in ,,eighteen ,,volumes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,illustrated ,,with ,,notes1 ,,historical1 ,,critical1 ,,and ,,explanatory1 ,,and ,a ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,author1 ,,by ,,walter ,,scott1 ,,esq4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,vol4 ,x4 ,,london3 ,,printed ,,for ,,william ,,miller1 ,,albemarle ,,street1 ,,by ,,james ,,ballantyne ,,and ,,co4 ,,edinburgh4 #ahjh4 ,,contents ,,of ,,volume ,,tenth4 ,,page4 ,religio ,laici1 or a ,layman's ,faith1 an ,epistle1 #a ,preface1 #aa ,threnodia ,augustalis1 a ,funeral ,pindaric ,poem1 sacred to the happy ,memory of ,king ,charles ,,ii4 #ec ,notes1 #gi ,the ,hind and the ,panther1 a ,poem1 in ,three ,parts1 #he ,preface1 #aji ,notes on ,part ,i4 #aci ,part ,,ii4 #aei ,notes on ,part ,,ii4 #ahe ,part ,,iii4 #aie ,notes on ,part ,,iii4 #bdj ,britannia ,rediviva1 a ,poem on the ,birth of the ,prince1 #bhc ,notes1 #cjb ,prologues and ,epilogues1 #cji ,mack-,flecknoe1 a ,satire against ,thomas ,shadwell1 #dbe ,notes1 #dda ,,religio ,,laici3 ,,or1 ,a ,,layman',s ,,faith4 ,,an ,,epistle4 ,ornari res ipsa negat2 contenta doceri4 ,,argument4 ,,taken ,,from ,,the ,,author',s ,,marginal ,,notes4 ,opinions of the several ,sects of ,philosophers concerning the ,summum bonum4--,system of ,deism4--,of ,revealed ,religion4--,objection of the ,deist4--,objection answered4--,digression to the ,translator of ,father ,simon's ,critical ,edition of the ,old ,testament4--,of the ,infallibility of ,tradition in general4--,objection in behalf of ,tradition1 urged by ,father ,simon4--,the ,second ,objection4--,answered4 ,,religio ,,laici4 ,the ,religio ,laici1 according to ,johnson1 is almost the only work of ,dryden which can be considered as a voluntary effusion4 ,i do not see much ground for this assertion4 ,dryden was indeed obliged to write by the necessity of his circumstances2 but the choice of the mode in which he was to labour was his own1 as well in his ,fables and other poems1 as in that which follows4 ,nay1 upon examination1 the ,religio ,laici appears1 in a great measure1 a controversial1 and almost a political poem2 and1 being such1 cannot be termed1 with propriety1 a voluntary effusion1 any more than ,the ,medal1 or ,absalom and ,achitophel4 ,it is evident1 ,dryden had his own times in consideration1 and the effect which the poem was likely to produce upon them4 ,religious controversy had mingled deeply with the party politics of the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,divided1 as the nation was1 into the three great sects of ,churchmen1 ,papists1 and ,dissenters1 their several creeds were examined by their antagonists with scrupulous malignity1 and every hint extracted from them which could be turned to the disadvantage of those who professed them4 ,to the ,catholics1 the dissenters objected their cruel intolerance and jesuitical practices2 to the church of ,england1 their servile dependence on the crown1 and slavish doctrine of non-resistance4 ,the ,catholics1 on the other hand1 charged the reformed church of ,england with desertion from the original doctrines of ,christianity1 with denying the infallibility of general councils1 and destroying the unity of the church2 and against the fanatics1 they objected their anti-monarchical tenets1 the wild visions of their independent preachers1 and their seditious cabals against the church and state4 ,while the church of ,england was thus assailed by two foes1 who did not at the same time spare each other1 it probably occurred to ,dryden1 that he1 who could explain her tenets by a plain and philosophical commentary1 had a chance1 not only of contributing to fix and regulate the faith of her professors1 but of reconciling to her1 as the middle course1 the ,catholics and the fanatics4 ,the ,duke of ,york and the ,papists1 on the one hand1 were urging the king to the most desperate measures2 on the other1 the popular faction were just not in arms4 ,the king1 with the assistance and advice of ,halifax1 was trimming his course betwixt these outrageous and furious torrents4 ,whatever1 therefore1 at this important crisis1 might act as a sedative on the inflamed spirits of all parties1 and encourage them to abide with patience the events of futurity1 was a main point in favour of the crown4 ,a rational and philosophical view of the tenets of the national church1 liberally expressed1 and decorated with the ornaments of poetry1 seemed calculated to produce this effect2 and as ,i have no doubt1 as well from the preface1 as from passages in the poem1 that ,dryden had such a purpose in view1 ,i have ventured to place the ,religio ,laici among his historical and political poems4#a ,i would not1 from what is above stated1 be understood to mean1 that ,dryden wrote this poem merely with a view to politics1 and that he was himself sceptical in the matters of which it treats4--,on the contrary1 ,i have no doubt1 that it expresses1 without disguise or reservation1 what was then the author's serious and firm1 though1 as it unfortunately proved1 not his unalterable religious opinion4 ,the remarkable line in the ,hind and ,panther1 seems to refer to the state of his mind at this period2 and this system of divinity was among the new sparkles which his pride had struck forth1 after he had abandoned the fanatical doctrines in which he was doubtless educated4#b ,it is therefore probable1 that1 having formed for himself1 on grounds which seemed to warrant it1 a rational exposition of the national creed1 he was willing to communicate it to the public at a period1 when moderation of religious zeal was so essentially necessary to the repose of the nation4 ,considered in this point of view1 the ,religio ,laici is one of the most admirable poems in the language4 ,the argumentative part is conducted with singular skill1 upon those topics which occasioned the principal animosity between the religious sects2 and the deductions are drawn in favour of the church of ,england with so much apparent impartiality1 that those who could not assent1 had at least no title to be angry4 ,the opinions of the various classes of free-thinkers are combated by an appeal to those feelings of the human mind1 which always acknowledge an offended ,deity1 and to the various modes in which all ages and nations have shewn their sense of the necessity of an atonement by sacrifice and penance4 ,dryden1 however1 differs from most philosophers1 who suppose this consciousness of guilt to be originally implanted in our bosoms3 he1 somewhat fantastically1 argues1 as if it were some remnants of the original faith revealed to ,noah1 and preserved by the posterity of ,shem4 ,the inadequacy of sacrifices and oblations1 when compared with the crimes of those by whom they are made1 and with the grandeur of the omnipotent ,being1 to whom they are offered1 paves the way for the imputed righteousness of ,jesus ,christ1 the fundamental doctrine of the ,christian religion4 ,the fitness of this vicarious sacrifice to accomplish the redemption of man1 and vindicate the justice and mercy of ,god2 the obvious impossibility that the writings1 or authors1 by which it has been conveyed to us1 should be less than inspired2 the progress of the ,christian faith itself1 though militating against the corrupt dispositions of humanity1 and graced with none of those attractions by which ,mahomet1 and other false prophets1 bribed their followers1 are then successively urged as evidences of the ,christian religion4 ,the poet then recurs to an objection1 at which he had hinted in his preface4 ,if the ,christian religion is necessary to salvation1 why is it not extended to all nations of the earth8 ,and suppose we grant that the circumstance of the revealed religion having been formerly preached and embraced in great part of the world where it is now unknown1 shall be sufficient to subject those regions to be judged by its laws1 what is to become of the generations who have lived before the coming of the ,messiah8 what of the inhabitants of those countries on which the beams of the gospel have never shone8 ,to these doubts1 ,i hope most ,christians will think our author returns a liberal1 and not a presumptuous answer1 in supposing that the heathen will be judged according to the light which it has pleased ,god to afford them2 and that1 infinitely less fortunate than us in the extent of their spiritual knowledge1 they will only be called upon to answer for their conformity with the dictates of their own conscience4 ,the authority of ,st ,athanasius our author here sets aside1 either because in the ardour of his dispute with ,arius he carried his doctrine too far1 or because his creed only has reference to the decision of a doctrinal question in the ,christian church2 and the anathema annexed applies not to the heathen world1 but to those1 who1 having heard the orthodox faith preached1 have wilfully chosen the heresy4 ,dryden next takes under review the work of ,father ,simon2 and1 after an eulogy on the author and translator1 pronounces1 that the former was not a bigotted ,catholic1 since he did not hesitate to challenge some of the traditions of the church of ,rome4 ,to these traditions1 these brushwood helps1 with which the ,catholics endeavoured to fence the doctrines of their church1 our author proceeds1 and throws them aside as liable to error and corruption4 ,the pretensions of the church of ,rome1 by her pope and general councils1 infallibly to determine the authenticity of church tradition1 is the next proposition4 ,to this the poet answers1 that if they possess infallibility at all1 it ought to go the length of restoring the canon1 or correcting the corrupt copies of scripture2 a reply which seems to concede to the ,romans2 as1 without denying the grounds of their claim1 it only asserts1 that it is not sufficiently extended4 ,upon1 the ground1 however1 that the plea of infallibility1 by which the poet is obviously somewhat embarrassed1 must be dismissed1 as proving too much1 the holy scriptures are referred to as the sole rule of faith2 admitting such explanations as the church of ,england has given to the contested doctrines of ,christianity4 ,the unlettered ,christian1 we are told1 does well to pursue1 in simplicity1 his path to heaven2 the learned divine is to study well the sacred scriptures1 with such assistance as the most early traditions of the church1 especially those which are written1 may1 in doubtful points1 afford him4 ,it is in this argument chiefly1 that there may be traced a sort of vacillation and uncertainty in our author's opinion1 boding what afterwards took place--his acquiescence in the church authority of ,rome4 ,nevertheless1 having vaguely pronounced1 that some traditions are to be received1 and others rejected1 he gives his opinion against the ,roman see1 which dictated to the laity the explications of doctrine as adopted by the church1 and prohibited them to form their own opinion upon the text1 or even to peruse the sacred volume which contains it4 ,this ,dryden contrasts with the opposite evil1 of vulgar enthusiasts debasing scripture by their own absurd commentaries1 and dividing into as many sects1 as there are wayward opinions formed upon speculative doctrine4 ,he concludes1 that both extremes are to be avoided2 that saving faith does not depend on nice disquisitions2 yet1 if inquisitive minds are hurried into such1 the scripture1 and the commentary of the fathers1 are their only safe guides3 ,and after hearing what our church can say1 ,if still our reason runs another way1 ,that private reason 'tis more just to curb1 ,than by disputes the public peace disturb2 ,for points obscure are of small use to learn1 ,but common quiet is mankind's concern4 ,in considering ,dryden's creed thus analyzed1 ,i think it will appear1 that the author1 though still holding the doctrines of the church of ,england1 had been biassed1 in the course of his enquiry1 by those of ,rome4 ,his wish for the possibility of an infallible guide1#c expressed with almost indecent ardour1 the difficulty1 nay1 it would seem1 in his estimation1 almost the impossibility1 of discriminating between corrupted and authentic traditions1 while the necessity of the latter to the interpretation of scripture is plainly admitted1 appear1 upon the whole1 to have left the poet's mind in an unpleasing state of doubt1 from which he rather escapes than is relieved4 ,he who only acquiesces in the doctrines of his church1 because the exercise of his private judgement may disturb the tranquillity of the state1 can hardly be said to be in a state to give a reason for the faith that is in him4 ,the doctrine of the ,religio ,laici is admirably adapted to the subject3 though treating of the most abstruse doctrines of ,christianity1 it is as clear and perspicuous as the most humble prose1 while it has all the elegance and effect which argument is capable of receiving from poetry4 ,johnson1 usually sufficiently niggard of praise1 has allowed1 that this is a composition of great excellence in its kind1 in which the familiar is very properly diversified with the solemn1 and the grave with the humorous2 in which metre has neither weakened the force1 nor clouded the perspicuity of argument2 nor will it be easy to find another example1 equally happy1 of this middle kind of writing1 which1 though prosaic in some parts1 rises to high poetry in others1 and neither towers to the skies1 nor creeps along the ground4#d ,i cannot help remarking1 that the style of the ,religio ,laici has been imitated successfully by the late ,mr ,cowper in some of his pieces4 ,yet he has not been always able to maintain the resemblance1 but often crawls where ,dryden would have walked4 ,the natural dignity of our author may be discovered in the lamest lines of the poem1 whereas his imitator is often harsh and embarrassed4 ,both are occasionally prosaic2 but in such passages ,dryden's verse resembles good prose1 and ,cowper's that which is feeble and involved4 ,the name which ,dryden has thought proper to affix to this declaration of his faith1 seems to have been rather fashionable about that time4 ,there is a treatise de ,religione ,laici1 attached to the work of ,lord ,herbert of ,cherburg1 ,de ,veritate1 first published in #afcc4 ,but the most famous work1 with a similar title1 was the ,religio ,medici of ,thomas ,browne1 which was translated into ,latin by ,meryweather1 and afterwards into ,french1 ,italian1 ,dutch1 ,german1 and most of the languages of ,europe4 ,in #afhc1 ,charles ,blount1 of ,staffordshire1 son to ,sir ,henry ,blount1 published a short treatise1 entitled1 ,religio ,laici1 which he inscribed to his much honoured friend1 ,john ,dryden1 ,esq42 whom he informed1 in the epistle-dedicatory1 ,i have endeavoured that my discourse should only be a continuance of yours2 and that1 as you taught men how to believe1 so ,i might instruct them how to live4#e ,it has been suggested1 that the purpose of the ,religio ,laici of ,dryden was to bring the contending factions to sober and philosophical reflection on their differences in points of faith1 and to abate1 if possible1 the acrimony with which they contended upon the most obscure subjects of polemical divinity4 ,but to attempt1 by an abstracted disquisition on the original cause of quarrel1 to stop a controversy1 in which all the angry passions had been roused1 and which indeed was fast verging towards blows1 is as vain an attempt1 as it would be to turn the course of a river1 swoln with a thousand tributary streams1 by draining the original spring-head4 ,from the cold reception of this poem1 compared to those political and personal satires which preceded it1 ,dryden might learn the difference of interest1 excited by productions which tended to fan party rage1 and one which was designed to mitigate its ferocity4 ,the ,religio ,laici1 which first appeared in ,november #afhb1 neither attracted admiration nor censure2 it was neither hailed by the acclamations of the one party1 nor attacked by the indignant answers of the other4 ,the public were1 however1 sufficiently interested in it to call for a renewal of the impression in the following year4 ,this second edition1 which had escaped even the researches of ,mr ,malone1 is in the collection of my friend ,mr ,heber4 ,it might probably have been again reprinted with advantage1 but our author's change of faith must necessarily have rendered him unwilling to give a third edition4 ,the same circumstance called the attention of his enemies towards this neglected poem1 who1 in many libels1 upbraided him with the versatility of his religious opinions4 ,the author of a pamphlet1 called ,the ,revolter1 was at the pains to print the tenets of the ,religio ,laici concerning the ,catholic controversy1 in contrast with those which our author had adopted and expressed in the ,hind and ,panther4#f ,another turned our author's own title against him1 and published ,religio ,laici1 or a ,layman's ,faith touching the ,supream and ,infallible ,guide of the ,church1 by ,j4 ,r4 a ,convert of ,mr ,bayes4 ,in ,two ,letters to a ,friend in the ,country4 ,licenced ,june the #ast1 #afhh4 ,in both these pamphlets our author is treated with the grossest insolence and brutality4#g ,excepting these malignant criticisms1 the ,religio ,laici slept in obscurity after the second edition1 and was not again published till after the author's death4 ,neither has it been since popular1 although its pure spirit of ,christianity should be acceptable to the religious1 its moderation to the philosopher1 and the excellence of the composition to all admirers of argumentative poetry4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #a3 ,it was intimated by ,dryden's enemies1 that he chose this religious and grave subject with a view to smooth the way to his taking orders1 and obtaining church preferment--,see a quotation from the ,religio ,laici1 by ,j4 ,r4 subjoined to these introductory remarks4 ,but our author1 in the preface to the ,fables1 declares1 that going into the church was never in his thoughts4 ,footnote #b3 ,the reader will find this opinion more fully expressed in the observations on ,dryden's conversion to the ,roman ,catholic faith1 given in the ,life4 ,footnote #c3 ,such an omniscient church we wish indeed2 ',twere worth both ,testaments1 cast in the creed4 ,footnote #d3 ,johnson's ,life of ,dryden4 ,footnote #e3 ,malone1 ,vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #caj4 ,footnote #f3 ,the ,revolter1 a ,tragi-,comedy1 acted between the ,hind and ,panther and ,religio ,laici4 ,london4 #afhg4 ,footnote #g3 ,as will appear from the following extracts3--,while he sat thus in his poetical throne1 or rather acting upon the stage of fable and pagan mythology1 and transfiguring into beasts almost all mankind1 but ,turks and infidels1 that were out of his road1 he never considered what a monster he was himself2 a second ,gorgon with three heads1 for each of which he had a particular employment2 with the one1 to fawn upon the most infamous usurpers2 with the other1 at one time to lick the beneficent hands of his ,protestant mother1 and1 bye and bye1 to court the charity of his ,catholic mamma2 while1 with the third1 he barked and snarled1 not only at his first deserted female parent1 but also at all other differing sentiments and opinions1 which his sovereign had so graciously and generously indulged4 ,but 'twas his wrath1 because his native church ,left his high expectations in the lurch4 99 99 99 99 99 ,he saw the play-wright laureate debauched ,by the times1 vices which he himself reproached2 ,and1 by his grand reform stage-pit fools21 ,judged his ability to manage souls4 ,the comedy1 to see him preach for aught1 ,she knew might tragic prove to those he taught2 ,by ill instructions to their loss beguiled1 ,or scorning precepts from a tongue defiled ,with stage obscenity---- ,for who could have refrained from sportive mirth1 ,to hear the nation's poet1 ,bayes1 hold forth8 ,or who would ever practice by the rule ,of one they could not chuse but ridicule8 ,the scandal was the greater1 the more rare1 ,an ordained play-wright in the house of prayer4 ,while people only flock to hear him chime ,a rampant sermon forth in brilly rhime2 ,or else his gaping auditors he feasts ,with bold ,isaiah's raptures1 and ,ezekiel's beasts4 ,all this the church foresaw1 nor could endure ,polluted lips should handle things most pure4 ,the ,revolter1 p4 #b4 ,but1 to give the devil his due1 ,i must needs own ,mr ,bayes has a most powerful and luxurious hand at satire1 and may challenge all ,christendom to match him2 for indeed ,i never1 in my slender province1 met any that was worthy to compare to him1 unless that unknown1 but supposed worthy author1 that writ to him upon his at last turning ,roman ,catholic2 for ,bayes1 like the ,vicar of ,bray1 in ,henry ,,viii4 ,edward ,,vi4 ,queen ,mary1 and ,queen ,elizabeth's times1 was resolved to keep his place2 7and the quoting an author to the purpose1 is the same thing1 the learned say1 as if it was his own71 and that will1 ,i hope1 excuse my putting them down here3-- ,thou mercenary renegade1 thou slave1 ,thou ever changing still to be a knave2 ,what sect1 what error1 wilt thou next disgrace8 ,thou art so lude1 so scandalously base1 ,that antichristian popery may be ,ashamed of such a proselyte as thee2 ,not all thy rancour1 or felonious spite1 ,which animates thy lumpish soul to write1 ,could ha' contrived a satire more severe1 ,or more disgrace the cause thou wouldst prefer4 ,yet in thy favour1 this must be confest1 ,it suits with thy poetic genius best2 ,there thou---- ,to truths disused1 mayst entertain ,thyself with stories1 more fanciful and vain ,than e'er thy poetry could ever fain2 ,or sing the lives of thy own fellow saints1 ',tis a large field1 and thy assistance wants2 ,thence copy out new operas for the stage1 ,and with their miracles direct the age4 ,such is thy faith1 if faith thou hast indeed1 ,for well we may suspect the poet's creed1 ,rebel to ,god1 blasphemer o' the king1 ,oh tell whence could this strange compliance spring8 ,so mayest thou prove to thy new gods as true1 ,as thy old friend1 the devil1 has been to you4 ,yet conscience and religion's your pretence1 ,but bread and drink the methologick sense4 ,ah6 how persuasive is the want of bread1 ,not reasons from strong box more strongly plead4 ,a convert1 thou6 'tis past all believing2 ',tis a damned scandal1 of thy foes contriving2 ,a jest of that malicious monstrous fame-- ,the honest layman's faith is still the same4 ,religio ,laici1 by ,j4 ,r4 a ,convert of ,mr ,bayes4 ,in such coarse invective were ,dryden's theological poems censured by persons1 who1 far from writing decent poetry1 or even common sense1 could neither spell1 nor write tolerable grammar4 ,,the ,,preface4 ,a ,poem1 with so bold a title1 and a name prefixed from which the handling of so serious a subject would not be expected1 may reasonably oblige the author to say somewhat in defence1 both of himself and of his undertaking4 ,in the first place1 if it be objected to me1 that1 being a layman1 ,i ought not to have concerned myself with speculations1 which belong to the profession of divinity2 ,i could answer1 that perhaps laymen1 with equal advantages of parts and knowledge1 are not the most incompetent judges of sacred things2 but1 in the due sense of my own weakness1 and want of learning1 ,i plead not this2 ,i pretend not to make myself a judge of faith in others1 but only to make a confession of my own4 ,i lay no unhallowed hand upon the ark1 but wait on it1 with the reverence that becomes me1 at a distance4 ,in the next place1 ,i will ingenuously confess1 that the helps ,i have used in this small treatise1 were many of them taken from the works of our own reverend divines of the church of ,england2 so that the weapons with which ,i combat irreligion1 are already consecrated2 though ,i suppose they may be taken down as lawfully as the sword of ,goliah was by ,david1 when they are to be employed for the common cause against the enemies of piety4 ,i intend not by this to entitle them to any of my errors1 which yet ,i hope are only those of charity to mankind2 and such as my own charity has caused me to commit1 that of others may more easily excuse4 ,being naturally inclined to scepticism in philosophy1 ,i have no reason to impose my opinions in a subject which is above it2 but whatever they are1 ,i submit them with all reverence to my mother church1 accounting them no further mine1 than as they are authorised1 or at least uncondemned1 by her4 ,and1 indeed1 to secure myself on this side1 ,i have used the necessary precaution of shewing this paper before it was published to a judicious and learned friend2 a man indefatigably zealous in the service of the church and state1 and whose writings have highly deserved of both4 ,he was pleased to approve the body of the discourse1 and ,i hope he is more my friend than to do it out of complaisance3 ,it is true1 he had too good a taste to like it all2 and1 amongst some other faults1 recommended to my second view1 what ,i have written1 perhaps too boldly1 on ,st ,athanasius1 which he advised me wholly to omit4 ,i am sensible enough1 that ,i had done more prudently to have followed his opinion2 but then ,i could not have satisfied myself1 that ,i had done honestly not to have written what was my own4 ,it has always been my thought1 that heathens1 who never did1 nor without miracle could1 hear of the name of ,christ1 were yet in a possibility of salvation4 ,neither will it enter easily into my belief1 that before the coming of our ,saviour1 the whole world1 excepting only the ,jewish nation1 should lie under the inevitable necessity of everlasting punishment1 for want of that revelation1 which was confined to so small a spot of ground as that of ,palestine4 ,among the sons of ,noah1 we read of one only who was accursed2 and1 if a blessing1 in the ripeness of time1 was reserved for ,japhet1 of whose progeny we are1 it seems unaccountable to me1 why so many generations of the same offspring1 as preceded our ,saviour in the flesh1 should be all involved in one common condemnation1 and yet that their posterity should be entitled to the hopes of salvation2 as if a bill of exclusion had passed only on the fathers1 which debarred not the sons from their succession3 or1 that so many ages had been delivered over to hell1 and so many reserved for heaven1 and that the devil had the first choice1 and ,god the next4 ,truly ,i am apt to think1 that the revealed religion1 which was taught by ,noah to all his sons1 might continue for some ages in the whole posterity4 ,that afterwards it was included wholly in the family of ,shem1 is manifest2 but when the progenies of ,cham and ,japhet swarmed into colonies1 and those colonies were subdivided into many others1 in process of time their descendants lost1 by little and little1 the primitive and purer rites of divine worship1 retaining only the notion of one deity2 to which succeeding generations added others2 for men took their degrees in those ages from conquerors to gods4 ,revelation being thus eclipsed to almost all mankind1 the light of nature1 as the next in dignity1 was substituted2 and that is it which ,st ,paul concludes to be the rule of the heathens1 and by which they are hereafter to be judged4 ,if my supposition be true1 then the consequence1 which ,i have assumed in my poem1 may be also true2 namely1 that ,deism1 or the principles of natural worship1 are only faint remnants1 or dying flames1 of revealed religion1 in the posterity of ,noah2 and that our modern philosophers1 nay1 and some of our philosophising divines1 have too much exalted the faculties of our souls1 when they have maintained1 that1 by their force1 mankind has been able to find out1 that there is one supreme agent1 or intellectual being1 which we call ,god2 that praise and prayer are his due worship2 and the rest of those deducements1 which ,i am confident are the remote effects of revelation1 and unattainable by our discourse1 ,i mean as simply considered1 and without the benefit of divine illumination4 ,so that we have not lifted up ourselves to ,god1 by the weak pinions of our reason1 but he has been pleased to descend to us2 and what ,socrates said of him1 what ,plato writ1 and the rest of the heathen philosophers of several nations1 is all no more than the twilight of revelation1 after the sun of it was set in the race of ,noah4 ,that there is something above us1 some principle of motion1 our reason can apprehend1 though it cannot discover what it is by its own virtue3 and1 indeed1 it is very improbable that we1 who1 by the strength of our faculties1 cannot enter into the knowledge of any being1 not so much as of our own1 should be able to find out1 by them1 that supreme nature1 which we cannot otherwise define1 than by saying it is infinite2 as if infinite were definable1 or infinity a subject for our narrow understanding4 ,they1 who would prove religion by reason1 do but weaken the cause which they endeavour to support3 it is to take away the pillars from our faith1 and to prop it only with a twig2 it is to design a tower1 like that of ,babel1 which1 if it were possible1 as it is not1 to reach heaven1 would come to nothing by the confusion of the workmen4 ,for every man is building a several way2 impotently conceited of his own model and his own materials1 reason is always striving1 and always at a loss2 and of necessity it must so come to pass1 while it is exercised about that which is not its proper object4 ,let us be content1 at last1 to know ,god by his own methods2 at least1 so much of him as he is pleased to reveal to us in the sacred ,scriptures4 ,to apprehend them to be the word of ,god is all our reason has to do2 for all beyond it is the work of faith1 which is the seal of heaven impressed upon our human understanding4 ,and now for what concerns the holy ,bishop ,athanasius1 the preface of whose creed seems inconsistent with my opinion1 which is1 that heathens may possibly be saved4 ,in the first place1 ,i desire it may be considered1 that it is the preface only1 not the creed itself1 which1 till ,i am better informed1 is of too hard a digestion for my charity4#h ,it is not that ,i am ignorant1 how many several texts of ,scripture seemingly support that cause2 but neither am ,i ignorant1 how all those texts may receive a kinder1 and more mollified interpretation4 ,every man1 who is read in church history1 knows that belief was drawn up after a long contestation with ,arius1 concerning the divinity of our blessed ,saviour1 and his being one substance with the ,father2 and that thus compiled1 it was sent abroad among the ,christian churches1 as a kind of test1 which1 whosoever took1 was looked on as an orthodox believer4#i ,it is manifest from hence1 that the heathen part of the empire was not concerned in it2 for its business was not to distinguish betwixt ,pagans and ,christians1 but betwixt heretics and true believers4 ,this1 well considered1 takes off the heavy weight of censure1 which ,i would willingly avoid from so venerable a man2 for if this proportion1 whosoever will be saved1 be restrained only to those to whom it was intended1 and for whom it was composed1 ,i mean the ,christians2 then the anathema reaches not the heathens1 who had never heard of ,christ1 and were nothing interested in that dispute4 ,after all1 ,i am far from blaming even that prefatory addition to the creed1 and as far from cavilling at the continuation of it in the liturgy of the church1 where1 on the days appointed1 it is publicly read3 for ,i suppose there is the same reason for it now1 in opposition to the ,socinians1 as there was then against the ,arians2 the one being a heresy1 which seems to have been refined out of the other2 and with how much more plausibility of reason it combats our religion1 with so much more caution it ought to be avoided3 therefore1 the prudence of our church is to be commended1 which has interposed her authority for the recommendation of this creed4 ,yet to such as are grounded in the true belief1 those explanatory creeds1 the ,nicene and this of ,athanasius1 might perhaps be spared2 for what is supernatural will always be a mystery in spite of exposition2 and1 for my own part1 the plain ,apostles creed is most suitable to my weak understanding1 as the simplest diet is the most easy of digestion4 ,i have dwelt longer on this subject than ,i intended1 and longer than perhaps ,i ought2 for1 having laid down1 as my foundation1 that the ,scripture is a rule2 that in all things needful to salvation it is clear1 sufficient1 and ordained by ,god ,almighty for that purpose2 ,i have left myself no right to interpret obscure places1 such as concern the possibility of eternal happiness to heathens2 because whatsoever is obscure is concluded not necessary to be known4 ,but1 by asserting the ,scripture to be the canon of our faith1 ,i have unavoidably created to myself two sorts of enemies2 the papists1 indeed1 more directly1 because they have kept the ,scripture from us what they could1 and have reserved to themselves a right of interpreting what they have delivered under the pretence of infallibility2 and the fanatics1 more collaterally1 because they have assumed what amounts to an infallibility in the private spirit1 and have distorted those texts of ,scripture which are not necessary to salvation1 to the damnable uses of sedition1 disturbance1 and destruction of the civil government4 ,to begin with the papists1 and to speak freely1 ,i think them the less dangerous 7at least in appearance7 to our present state2 for not only the penal laws are in force against them1 and their number is contemptible1 but also their peerage and commons are excluded from parliaments1 and consequently those laws in no probability of being repealed4 ,a general and uninterrupted plot of their clergy1 ever since the ,reformation1 ,i suppose all protestants believe2 for it is not reasonable to think1 but that so many of their orders1 as were outed from their fat possessions1 would endeavour a re-entrance against those whom they account heretics4#aj ,as for the late design1 ,mr ,coleman's letters1 for aught ,i know1 are the best evidence2 and what they discover1 without wire-drawing their sense1 or malicious glosses1 all men of reason conclude credible4#aa ,if there be any thing more than this required of me1 ,i must believe it as well as ,i am able1 in spite of the witnesses1 and out of a decent conformity to the votes of parliament2 for ,i suppose the fanatics will not allow the private spirit in this case4 ,here the infallibility is at least in one part of the government2 and our understandings1 as well as our wills1 are represented4 ,but1 to return to the ,roman ,catholics1 how can we be secure from the practice of jesuited papists in that religion8 ,for not two or three of that order1 as some of them would impose upon us1 but almost the whole body of them1 are of opinion1 that their infallible master has a right over kings1 not only in spirituals1 but temporals4 ,not to name ,mariana1 ,bellarmine1 ,emanuel ,sa1 ,molina1 ,santarel1 ,simancha1#ab and at least twenty others of foreign countries1 we can produce of our own nation1 ,campian1 and ,doleman or ,parsons1#ac 7besides many who are named whom ,i have not read17 who all of them attest this doctrine1 that the pope can depose and give away the right of any sovereign prince1 si vel paulum deflexerit1 if he shall never so little warp2 but if he once comes to be excommunicated1 then the bond of obedience is taken off from subjects2 and they may and ought to drive him1 like another ,nebuchadnezzar1 ex hominum ,christianorum dominatu1 from exercising dominion over ,christians2 and to this they are bound by virtue of divine precept1 and by all the ties of conscience1 under no less penalty than damnation4 ,if they answer me1 7as a learned priest has lately written17 that this doctrine of the ,jesuits is not de fide1 and that consequently they are not obliged by it1 they must pardon me1 if ,i think they have said nothing to the purpose2 for it is a maxim in their church1 where points of faith are not decided1 and that doctors are of contrary opinions1 they may follow which part they please1 but more safely the most received and most authorized4 ,and their champion1 ,bellarmine1 has told the world1 in his ,apology1 that the king of ,england is a vassal to the pope1 ratione1 directi dominii1#ad and that he holds in villanage of his ,roman landlord2 which is no new claim put in for ,england3 our chronicles are his authentic witnesses1 that ,king ,john was deposed by the same plea1 and ,philip ,augustus admitted tenant2 and1 which makes the more for ,bellarmine1 the ,french king was again ejected when our king submitted to the church1 and the crown received under the sordid condition of a vassalage4 ,it is not sufficient for the more moderate and well-meaning papists1 of which ,i doubt not there are many1 to produce the evidences of their loyalty to the late king1 and to declare their innocency in this plot4 ,i will grant their behaviour in the first to have been as loyal and as brave as they desire2 and will be willing to hold them excused as to the second1 7,i mean when it comes to my turn1 and after my betters2 for it is a madness to be sober alone1 while the nation continues drunk37 but that saying of their father ,cres4#ae is still running in my head1--that they may be dispensed with in their obedience to an heretic prince1 while the necessity of the times shall oblige them to it2 7for that1 as another of them tells us1 is only the effect of ,christian prudence27 but when once they shall get power to shake him off1 an heretic is no lawful king1 and consequently to rise against him is no rebellion4 ,i should be glad1 therefore1 that they would follow the advice which was charitably given them by a reverend prelate of our church1 namely1 that they would join in a public act of disowning and detesting those jesuitic principles1 and subscribe to all doctrines which deny the pope's authority of deposing kings1 and releasing subjects from their oath of allegiance2 to which1 ,i should think1 they might easily be induced1 if it be true1 that this present pope has condemned the doctrine of king-killing2 a thesis of the ,jesuits1 maintained1 amongst others1 ex cathedra1 as they call it1 or in open consistory4 ,leaving them1 therefore1 in so fair a way1 7if they please themselves17 of satisfying all reasonable men of their sincerity and good meaning to the government1 ,i shall make bold to consider that other extreme of our religion1 ,i mean the fanatics1 or schismatics1 of the ,english church4 ,since the ,bible has been translated into our tongue1 they have used it so1 as if their business was not to be saved1 but to be damned by its contents4 ,if we consider only them1 better had it been for the ,english nation1 that it had still remained in the original ,greek and ,hebrew1 or at least in the honest ,latin of ,st ,jerome1 than that several texts in it should have been prevaricated to the destruction of that government1 which put it into so ungrateful hands4 ,how many heresies the first translation of ,tyndal#af produced in few years1 let my ,lord ,herbert's ,history of ,henry the ,eighth inform you2 insomuch that1 for the gross errors in it1 and the great mischiefs it occasioned1 a sentence passed on the first edition of the ,bible1 too shameful almost to be repeated4#ag ,after the short reign of ,edward the ,sixth1 7who had continued to carry on the ,reformation on other principles than it was begun17 every one knows1 that not only the chief promoters of that work1 but many others1 whose consciences would not dispense with popery1 were forced1 for fear of persecution1 to change climates2 from whence returning at the beginning of ,queen ,elizabeth's reign1 many of them1 who had been in ,france1 and at ,geneva1 brought back the rigid opinions and imperious discipline of ,calvin1 to graft upon our ,reformation2#ah which1 though they cunningly concealed at first1 7as well knowing how nauseously that drug would go down in a lawful monarchy1 which was prescribed for a rebellious commonwealth17 yet they always kept it in reserve2 and were never wanting to themselves1 either in court or parliament1 when either they had any prospect of a numerous party of fanatic members in the one1 or the encouragement of any favourite in the other1 whose covetousness was gaping at the patrimony of the church4 ,they who will consult the works of our venerable ,hooker1#ai or the account of his life1 or more particularly the letter written to him on this subject1 by ,george ,cranmer1#bj may see by what gradations they proceeded2 from the dislike of cap and surplice1 the very next step was admonitions to the parliament against the whole government ecclesiastical2 then came out volumes in ,english and ,latin in defence of their tenets2 and immediately practices were set on foot to erect their discipline without authority4 ,those not succeeding1 satire and railing was the next2 and ,martin ,mar-prelate1#ba 7the ,marvel of those times17 was the first presbyterian scribbler1 who sanctified libels and scurrility to the use of the good old cause3 which was done1 7says my author17 upon this account1 that their serious treatises having been fully answered and refuted1 they might compass by railing what they had lost by reasoning2 and1 when their cause was sunk in court and parliament1 they might at least hedge in a stake amongst the rabble1 for to their ignorance all things are wit which are abusive2 but if church and state were made the theme1 then the doctoral degree of wit was to be taken at ,billingsgate2 even the most saintlike of the party1 though they durst not excuse this contempt and vilifying of the government1 yet were pleased1 and grinned at it with a pious smile1 and called it a judgment of ,god against the hierarchy4 ,thus sectaries1 we may see1 were born with teeth1 foul-mouthed1 and scurrilous from their infancy2 and if spiritual pride1 venom1 violence1 contempt of superiors1 and slander1 had been the marks of orthodox belief1 the presbytery1 and the rest of our schismatics1 which are their spawn1 were always the most visible church in the ,christian world4#bb ,it is true1 the government was too strong at that time for a rebellion2 but1 to shew what proficiency they had made in ,calvin's school1 even then their mouths watered at it2 for two of their gifted brotherhood1 ,hacket and ,coppinger1 as the story tells us1 got up in a pease-cart and harangued the people1 to dispose them to an insurrection1 and to establish their discipline by force2#bc so that1 however it comes about1 that now they celebrate ,queen ,elizabeth's birth-night1 as that of their saint and patroness2 yet then they were for doing the work of the ,lord by arms against her2#bd and in all probability they wanted but a fanatic lord-mayor1 and two sheriffs of their party1 to have compassed it4#be ,our venerable ,hooker1 after many admonitions which he had given them1 towards the end of his preface1 breaks out into this prophetic speech3 ,there is in every one of these considerations most just cause to fear1 lest our hastiness to embrace a thing of so perilous consequence1 7meaning the presbyterian discipline17 should cause posterity to feel those evils1 which as yet are more easy for us to prevent1 than they would be for them to remedy4 ,how fatally this ,cassandra has foretold1 we know too well by sad experience4 ,the seeds were sown in the time of ,queen ,elizabeth2 the bloody harvest ripened in the reign of ,king ,charles the ,martyr2 and1 because all the sheaves could not be carried off without shedding some of the loose grains1 another crop is too like to follow2 nay1 ,i fear it is unavoidable1 if the conventiclers be permitted still to scatter4 ,a man may be suffered to quote an adversary to our religion1 when he speaks truth2 and it is the observation of ,maimbourg1#bf in his ,history of ,calvinism1 that wherever that discipline was planted and embraced1 rebellion1 civil war1 and misery1 attended it4 ,and how indeed should it happen otherwise8 ,reformation of church and state has always been the ground of our divisions in ,england4 ,while we were papists1 our ,holy ,father rid us1 by pretending authority out of the ,scriptures to depose princes2 when we shook off his authority1 the sectaries furnished themselves with the same weapons1 and out of the same magazine1 the ,bible2 so that the ,scriptures1 which are in themselves the greatest security of governors1 as commanding express obedience to them1 are now turned to their destruction2 and never since the ,reformation has there wanted a text of their interpreting to authorize a rebel4 ,and it is to be noted by the way1 that the doctrines of king-killing and deposing1 which have been taken up only by the worst party of the ,papists1 the most frontless flatterers of the pope's authority1 have been espoused1 defended1 and are still maintained1 by the whole body of nonconformists and republicans4 ,it is but dubbing themselves the people of ,god1 which it is the interest of their preachers to tell them they are1 and their own interest to believe1 and after that1 they cannot dip into the ,bible1 but one text or another will turn up for their purpose3 if they are under persecution1 as they call it1 then that is a mark of their election2 if they flourish1 then ,god works miracles for their deliverance1 and the saints are to possess the earth4 ,they may think themselves to be too roughly handled in this paper2 but ,i1 who know best how far ,i could have gone on this subject1 must be bold to tell them1 they are spared2 though1 at the same time1 ,i am not ignorant1 that they interpret the mildness of a writer to them1 as they do the mercy of the government2 in the one they think it fear1 and conclude it weakness in the other4 ,the best way for them to confute me is1 as ,i before advised the ,papists1 to disclaim their principles1 and renounce their practices4 ,we shall all be glad to think them true ,englishmen1 when they obey the king2 and true ,protestants1 when they conform to the church-discipline4 ,it remains that ,i acquaint the reader1 that the verses were written for an ingenious young gentleman1 my friend1 upon his translation of ,the ,critical ,history of the ,old ,testament1 composed by the learned father ,simon3#bg the verses1 therefore1 are addressed to the translator of that work1 and the style of them is1 what it ought to be1 epistolary4#bh ,if any one be so lamentable a critic as to require the smoothness1 the numbers1 and the turn of heroic poetry in this poem1 ,i must tell him1 that if he has not read ,horace1 ,i have studied him1 and hope the style of his epistles is not ill imitated here4 ,the expressions of a poem1 designed purely for instruction1 ought to be plain and natural1 and yet majestic2 for here the poet is presumed to be a kind of lawgiver1 and those three qualities1 which ,i have named1 are proper to the legislative style4 ,the florid1 elevated1 and figurative way1 is for the passions2 for love and hatred1 fear and anger1 are begotten in the soul1 by shewing their objects out of their true proportion1 either greater than the life1 or less2 but instruction is to be given by shewing them what they naturally are4 ,a man is to be cheated into passion1 but to be reasoned into truth4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #h3 ,whosoever will be saved1 before all things it is necessary that he hold the ,catholic faith4 ,which faith1 except every one do keep whole and undefiled1 without doubt he shall perish everlastingly4 ,footnote #i3 ,the controversy between ,athanasius and ,arius long divided the ,christian church4 ,the former was patriarch of ,alexandria1 and the latter bishop of ,nicomedia1 in ,asia4 ,the dispute regarded the godhead of the ,trinity4 ,the doctrine of ,arius1 that ,god the ,son was not co-existent1 consequently1 not equal in dignity with ,god the ,father1 was condemned by the grand general council of ,nice1 and he was banished4 ,but he was afterwards recalled by the emperor2 and his heresy spread so widely1 that almost all the ,christian world were at one time ,arians4 ,as a test of the true orthodox doctrine1 ,athanasius composed the creed which goes by his name4 ,being written expressly for this purpose1 and for the exclusive use of the ,christian world1 ,dryden argues1 with great apparent justice1 that the anathema with which it is fenced1 has no relation to the heathens1 and that we cannot1 with charity1 or even logically1 argue from thence concerning their state in the next world4 ,footnote #aj3 ,it is certain1 that the restless and enterprising spirit of the ,catholic church1 particularly of the ,jesuits1 merits attention1 and is1 in some degree1 dangerous to every other communion4 ,such zeal of proselytism actuates that sect1 that its missionaries have penetrated into every nation of the globe1 and1 in one sense1 there is a ,popish-plot perpetually carrying on against all states1 ,protestant1 ,pagan1 and ,mahometan4--,,hume1 ,vol4 ,,vii4 p4 #gb4 ,footnote #aa3 ,the unfortunate ,edward ,coleman was secretary to the ,duke of ,york1 and in high favour with his master4 ,with the intriguing spirit of a courtier1 and the zeal of a ,catholic1 he had long carried on a correspondence with ,father ,la ,chaise1 confessor to the king of ,france1 with the ,pope's nuncio1 and with other ,catholics abroad1 for the purpose1 as he himself states it1 of the conversion of three kingdoms1 and by that1 perhaps1 the utter subduing of a pestilent heresy1 which has a long time domineered over a great part of the northern world4 ,it would seem1 from these letters1 that it was the purpose of the ,catholics1 to begin by obtaining1 if possible1 a toleration1 or exemption from the penal laws2 and then1 while strengthening themselves by new converts1 to await the succession of ,james1 or the open declaration of ,charles in favour of their religion4 ,from various points it appears1 that ,coleman was a better ,catholic than an ,englishman2 and would not have hesitated to sacrifice the interests of his country to ,france1 if1 by so doing1 he could have brought her faith nearer to ,rome4 ,there were also indications of both the king's and duke's accessibility to foreign influence1 which were fraught with consequences highly dangerous to the country4 ,but1 while the ,catholics were availing themselves of these unworthy dispositions in the royal brothers1 it was quite absurd to suppose1 that they should have forfeited every prospect of success1 by assassinating these very persons1 upon whose lives their whole plan depended1 to place upon the throne the ,prince of ,orange1 the head of the ,protestant ,league4 ,yet1 although not the least trace is to be found in ,coleman's letters of the murders1 invasions1 fires1 and massacres1 which ,oates and ,bedloe bore witness to1 the real and imaginary conspiracy were identified by the general prepossession of the nation2 and ,coleman1 who undoubtedly deserved death for his unlawful and treasonable trafficking with foreign interests against the religion and liberty of his country1 actually suffered for a plot which was totally chimerical4 ,footnote #ab3 ,these are all ,jesuits and controversial writers4 ,mariana maintains1 that it is well for princes to believe1 that if they become oppressive to their people1 they may be killed1 not only lawfully1 but most commendably4--,institut4 pp4 #fa1 #fd4 ,in the #fth chapter of the same work1 he calls the murder of ,henry ,,iii4 of ,france by ,jaques ,clement1 insignem animi confidentiam--facinus memorabile--cso rege1 ingens sibi nomen fecit4 ,bellarmine declares roundly1 that all heretics are to be cut off1 unless they are the stronger party1 and then the ,catholics must remain quiet1 and wait a fitter time4--,de ,laicis1 ,liber ,,iii4 cap4 #bb4 ,simancha affirms1 propter ,hresin ,regis1 non solum ,rex regno privatur1 et a communione fidelium diris proscriptionibus separatur2 sed et ejus filii a regni successione pelluntur4 ,suarez expressly says1 ,regem excommunicatum impune deponi vel occidi quibuscunque posse4--,suarez in ,reg4 ,mag4 ,brit4 ,lib4 #f4 cap #f4 #bd4 ,these are sufficient examples of the doctrine laid down in the text1 which1 ,i believe1 is now as much detested by ,roman ,catholics as by those of other religions4 ,footnote #ac3 ,edmund ,campian1 and ,robert ,parsons1 ,english ,jesuits1 in the year #aehj1 obtained a bull from the ,pope1 declaring1 that the previous bull of ,pius ,v41 deposing and excommunicating ,queen ,elizabeth1 did forever bind the heretics1 but not the ,catholics1 till a favourable opportunity should occur of putting it into execution4 ,thus armed1 they came into ,england1 their native country1 for the express purpose of proclaiming the pope's right to dethrone monarchs1 and that ,queen ,elizabeth's subjects were freed from their allegiance4 ,campian was hanged for preaching this doctrine1 ,a4 ,d4 #aeha4 ,parsons1 finding ,england too hot for him1 fled beyond seas1 and settled at ,rome4 ,he published many works1 both in ,english and ,latin1 against the church and state of ,england2 one of which is1 ,a ,conference about the next ,succession of the ,crown of ,england4 printed in #aeic1 under the name of ,n4 ,doleman4 ,the first part contains the doctrine concerning the right of the church to chastise kings1 and proceed against them4 ,this book the fanatics found so much to their purpose1 that they reprinted it1 to justify the murder of ,charles ,i4--,athen ,oxon4 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #ceh4 ,doleman1 under whose name it was originally published1 was a quiet secular priest1 who abhorred such doctrines4 ,parsons1 the real author1 died at ,rome in #afaj4 ,footnote #ad3 ,the ,dominium directum is the right of seignory competent to a feudal superior1 in opposition to the ,dominium utile1 or actual possession of the lands which is held by the vassal4 ,footnote #ae3 ,hugh ,paulin ,cressy1 better known by the name of ,serenus ,cressy1 which he adopted upon entering into a religious state1 was originally chaplain to the unfortunate ,strafford1 and afterwards to the gallant ,falkland2 but1 having gone abroad after the civil wars1 he became a convert to the ,catholic faith1 and a benedictine monk in the ,english college of ,douay4 ,after the ,restoration1 he returned to ,england1 and was appointed chaplain to ,queen ,catherine4 ,he was remarkable for regularity of life1 unaffected piety1 modest and mild behaviour4 ,but in mystical doctrines1 he was an enthusiast2 and in religion1 a zealot4 ,he was the principal conductor of controversy on the part of the papists2 and published many treatises against ,stillingfleet1 ,pierce1 ,bagshaw1 and other champions of the protestant faith4 ,his chief work was the ,church ,history of ,brittany1 from the beginning of ,christianity to the ,norman ,conquest4--,see ,athen2 ,oxon4 ,,ii4 p4 #ebh4 ,footnote #af3 ,the passage in ,lord ,herbert's history1 referred to by ,dryden1 seems to be that which follows3 ,for as the scriptures began then commonly to be read1 so out of the literal sense thereof1 the manner of those times was1 promiscuously to draw arguments1 for whatsoever in matter of state or otherwise was to be done4 ,insomuch1 that the text which came nearest the point in question1 was taken as a decision of the business2 to the no little detriment of their affairs3 ,the scriptures not pretending yet to give regular instructions in those points4 ,but this is so much less strange1 that the year preceding1 the ,scriptures 7heretofore not permitted to the view of the people7 were now translated in divers languages1 and into ,english1 by ,tindal1 ,joy1 and others1 though1 as not being warranted by the king's authority1 they were publickly burnt1 and a new and better translation promised to be set forth1 and allowed to the people4 ,it being not thought fit by our king1 that under what pretence or difficulty soever1 his subjects should be defrauded of that1 wherein was to be found the word of ,god1 and means of their salvation4 ,howbeit not a few inconveniences were observed to follow4 ,for as the people did not sufficiently separate the more clear and necessary parts thereof1 from the obscure and accessory2 and as again taking the several authors to be equally inspired1 they did equally apply themselves to all2 they fell into many dangerous opinions3 ,little caring how they lived1 so they understood well1 bringing religion thus into much irresolution and controversie1 while few men agreeing on the same interpretation of the harder places1 vexed each others conscience1 appropriating to themselves the gift of the spirit4 ,whereof the ,roman church1 7much perplext at first with these defections7 did at last avail itself2 as assuming alone the power of that decision1 which yet was used more in favour of themselves1 than such an analogy1 as ought to be found in so perfect a book4 ,so that few were satisfied therewith1 but such as1 renouncing their own judgment1 and submitting to theirs1 yielded themselves wholly to an implicit faith2 in which1 though they found an apparent ease1 yet as1 for justifying of themselves1 the authority of their belief was derived more immediately from the church1 than the scripture1 not a few difficulties were introduced1 concerning both3 ,while the more speculative sort could not imagine1 how to hold that as an infallible rule1 which needed humane help to vindicate and support it2 nevertheless1 as by frequent reading of the scripture at this time1 it generally appeared what the ,roman church had added or altered in religion1 so many recovered a just liberty1 endeavouring together a reformation of the doctrine and manners of the clergy1 which yet1 through the obstinacy of some1 succeeded worse1 than so pious intentions deserved4 ,footnote #ag3 ,william ,tyndal1 otherwise called ,hitchens1 was born on the borders of ,wales1 and educated at ,oxford4 ,he was one of the earliest ,protestants1 and so boldly maintained the doctrines of the ,reformation1 that he was obliged to leave ,england4 ,he employed himself1 while abroad1 in executing a translation1 first of the ,new ,testament1 and afterwards of the ,pentateuch1 with prologues to the different books4 ,but as he was a zealous ,lutheran1 and as it had not pleased ,king ,henry ,,viii4 that his subjects should become ,protestants1 though they had ceased to be ,papists1 ,tyndal's version of the ,new ,testament was publickly burned1 and prohibited by royal proclamation1 as tending to disturb the brains of weak persons4 ,this grossly indecorous expression was not altogether without foundation4 ,a rule of faith1 containing the most sublime doctrines both of faith and moral practice1 and which had long been acknowledged the only guide to heaven1 could not be exposed at once to the vulgar1 who had been bred up in the grossest ignorance of its nature and contents1 without dazzling and confounding them1 as the beams of the sun suddenly let in upon the inmates of an obscure dungeon4 ,it was not till the sacred ,scriptures1 with the expositions of judicious pastors1 became a part of the regular education of the people1 that their minds were duly prepared to make the proper use of that inestimable gift4 ,the fate of ,tyndal was melancholy enough4 ,by the influence of ,henry1 he was seized at ,brussels2 and1 under pretence of his being a pragmatical incendiary1 one of the first translators of the ,new ,testament was strangled and burned1 at ,filford castle1 about twenty miles from ,antwerp1 in #aecf4 ,his last words were1 ,lord1 open the king of ,england's eyes4 ,footnote #ah3 ,heylin says1 the reformation would have rested with the first public liturgy1 confirmed by act of parliament in the second and third years of ,edward ,,vi41 if ,calvin's pragmatical spirit had not interposed4 ,he first began to quarrel at some passages in this sacred liturgy1 and afterwards never left soliciting the lord protector1 and practising1 by his agents1 on the court1 the country1 and the universities1 till he had laid the first foundation of the ,zuinglian faction1 who laboured nothing more than innovation both in doctrine and discipline4--,ecclesia ,restaurata4 ,address to the ,reader4 ,footnote #ai3 ,the learned and judicious ,richard ,hooker1 one of the most eminent divines of the church of ,england1 wrote a treatise upon ,ecclesiastical ,policy1 in which he vindicates that communion1 both against the ,puritans and ,papists4 ,it is in eight books2 five were published during ,hooker's lifetime1 and the other three after his death4 ,the last are supposed to be interpolated1 as they bear some passages tending to impugn the doctrine of non-resistance1 which at that time was a shibboleth of orthodoxy4 ,hooker died in #afjj4 ,his ,life1 to which ,dryden refers1 was written by the worthy ,isaac ,walton1 better known as the author of the ,complete ,angler2 a delightful work1 where the innocent simplicity1 unclouded cheerfulness1 and real worth of the author1 beam through every page4 ,his ,life of ,hooker was published about #affb4 ,see ,,hawkin',s edition of the ,complete ,angler1 ,introduction1 p4 #ai4 ,athen ,oxon4 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #cjb4 ,footnote #bj3 ,george ,cranmer1 whom ,wood calls a gentleman of singular hopes1 was grandson to ,edmund ,cranmer1 arch-deacon of ,canterbury1 brother to ,thomas the primate1 who suffered martyrdom in the reign of ,queen ,mary4 ,he was bred to state affairs under ,secretary ,davison2 and after serving in various diplomatic capacities1 became secretary to ,lord ,mountjoy1 ,lieutenant of ,ireland4 ,on the #acth ,november1 #afjj1 ,cranmer was slain in a skirmish at ,carlingford between the ,english and the forces of ,tyrone4 ,camden thus records his death3 ,cecidit tamen ex ,anglis1 prter alios1 ,cranmerus1 ,proregi ab epistolis1 et ipsi eo nomine longe charissimus4 ,he wrote to ,hooker1 under whom he had studied1 the letter mentioned in the text concerning the new church discipline1 which is dated ,february #aeih4 ,it is inserted by ,walton in his ,life of ,hooker4 ,athen ,oxon4 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #cjf4 ,footnote #ba3 ,john ,penry1 or ,ap ,henry1 better known by the name of ,martin ,mar-prelate1 or ,mar-priest1 as having been a plague to the bishops and clergy of his time4 ,he was a native of ,wales1 and originally a sub-sizer of ,peter-house1 in ,cambridge4 ,afterwards he obtained the degree of ,master of ,arts in ,oxford1 and1 having taken orders1 was for some time a regular clergyman4 ,but being a person full of ,welch blood1 of a hot and restless head1 ,anthony ,wood tells us1 he became a furious ,anabaptist1 and the most bitter enemy to the church of ,england that appeared in the long reign of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,he wrote a great number of pestilent pamphlets1 with burlesque titles2 such as1 ,oh1 read over ,john ,bridges1 for it is a worthy work4 ,printed over sea1 in ,europe1 within two furlongs of a bouncing ,priest1 at the cost of ,martin ,mar-prelate1 gent4 ,all his writings were filled with the most virulent invectives against the ,episcopal church4 ,at length1 being apprehended1 and tried for writing and publishing infamous books and libels against the established religion1 he was condemned and executed at ,st ,thomas a ,watering1 #bith ,may1 #aeic4 ,dryden compares him to ,andrew ,marvel1 the well known opposer of the court1 during the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,footnote #bb3 ,the court writers at this period were anxious to fix upon the presbyterians and the non-conformists in general1 the anti-monarchical principles of the fanatics1 who brought ,charles ,i4 to the scaffold4 ,their arguments may be seen at length in a book entitled1 ,seditious ,teachers1 ungodly ,preachers exemplified4 ,these charges are carried too far2 yet as the ,episcopalians made church and king their watchword1 the fanatics1 on the contrary1 in ,england1 and the ,huguenots in ,france1 had a certain tendency to oppose monarchical government4 ,one of their authors1 as early as the reign of ,queen ,elizabeth1 maintains1 that if kings and princes refused to reform religion1 the inferior magistrates or people1 by direction of the ministry1 might lawfully1 and ought1 if need required1 even by force of arms1 to reform it themselves4--,whittingham's ,preface to ,goodman on ,obedience to ,superior ,powers4 ,footnote #bc3 ,the freaks of these unhappy enthusiasts may be seen in the histories of the time4 ,hacket1 a man of some learning1 had his brain turned by enthusiasm1 and seduced ,coppinger and ,arthington1 two fanatic preachers1 by his example and exhortation1 to sally forth into the streets of ,london1 where he proclaimed himself to be the ,messiah1 and ,coppinger and ,arthington1 his prophet of mercy1 and his prophet of judgment4 ,as they continued to utter the most horrible blasphemies1 and to exhort the citizens to take arms1 to further the reign of ,hacket1 who1 they said1 was come with his fan in his hand to purify the discipline of the church of ,england1 they were seized and lodged in prison4 ,hacket was executed1 though fitter for ,bedlam1 persisting to the last in the most insane blasphemy4 ,the discipline of the prison restored ,arthington to his senses1 and he published a recantation1 expressing great remorse for his errors4 ,coppinger starved himself to death in jail4 ,this explosion of madness took place in #aeia4 ,hacket is stated by ,camden to have been a determined enemy to ,queen ,elizabeth1 and to have stabbed her picture with his dagger4 ,footnote #bd3 ,the birth-night of ,queen ,elizabeth was that which the ,whigs chose to solemnize1 by their grand pope-burnings and processions2 considering her as the patron of the ,protestant religion4 ,yet ,queen ,elizabeth was very severe against the ,puritans1 and passed several statutes against them4 ,footnote #be3 ,see the notes on ,absalom and ,achitophel1 ,vol4 ,,ix4 pages1 #bhj1 #djd4 ,footnote #bf3 ,lewis ,maimbourg1 a secularized ,jesuit1 wrote a ,history of ,calvinism1 in which he charges upon the ,huguenots the principal share of the guilt of the civil wars of ,france4 ,he charges them particularly with the conspiracies of ,amboise and ,meaux against the crown2 and alleges1 it was their intention1 by the assistance of ,england1 and the ,protestant states of ,germany1 with whom they corresponded1 to establish a republic in ,france4 ,his arguments are controverted in an ,apology for the ,protestants of ,france1 in six letters4 ,london1 #afhc4 ,footnote #bg3 ,pere ,richard ,simon was an excellent ,orientalist4 ,he was an oratorian priest1 and published1 besides the work here mentioned1 ,a critical ,history of the ,new ,testament1 and a new ,version of it1 which was censured by ,cardinal de ,noailles1 ,archbishop of ,paris1 and opposed by ,bossuet1 the learned ,bishop of ,meaux4 ,pere ,simon was an able biblical critic1 an excellent scholar1 and one of the most learned divines of his age4 ,footnote #bh3 ,derrick erroneously states this young gentleman to have been ,hampden1 son of the famous parliamentary leader1 who was deeply engaged in the ,rye-house ,plot1 and some years afterwards killed himself4 ,dryden was not likely1 in the very hottest of his political controversy1 to be on very intimate habits with a leader of the ,whigs1 much less to inscribe to him a poem1 the preface of which1 at least1 is levelled against the most zealous of that party4 ,besides1 the translation of ,pere ,simon's ,critical ,history1 which was published in #afhb1 bears to have been made by ,h4 ,d4 which initials can hardly stand for ,john ,hampden4 ,mr ,malone conjectures he may have been of the ,digby family1 or perhaps ,mr ,dodswell1 who translated one of ,plutarch's ,lives1 ,but it appears1 from a poem addressed to the ,translator by ,duke1 that his name was ,henry ,dickinson1 probably a son of ,edmund ,dickinson1 a physician1 and author of the ,delphi ,phenecizantes1 and other learned pieces4 ,athen ,oxon4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #idf4 ,there is another copy of verses1 addressed to the ,translator of the ,critical ,history in ,dryden's ,miscellanies4 ,so that ,dickinson's work seems to have attracted much notice at the time of its publication4 ,,recommendatory ,,verses4 ,,on ,,mr ,,dryden',s ,,religio ,,laici4 ,begone1 you slaves1 you idle vermin1 go1 ,fly from the scourges1 and your master know2 ,let free1 impartial men from ,dryden learn ,mysterious secrets of high concern1 ,and weighty truths1 solid convincing sense1 ,explained by unaffected eloquence4 ,what can you1 ,reverend ,levi1 here take ill8 ,men still had faults1 and men will have them still2 ,he that hath none1 and lives as angels do1 ,must be an angel2--but what's that to you8 ,while mighty ,lewis finds the ,pope too great1 ,and dreads the yoke of his imposing seat1 ,our sects a more tyrannic power assume1 ,and would for scorpions change the rods of ,rome4 ,that church detained the legacy divine2 ,fanatics cast the pearls of heaven to swine3 ,what1 then1 have honest thinking men to do1 ,but chuse a mean between the usurping two8 ,nor can the ,egyptian patriarch blame a muse1 ,which for his firmness does his heat excuse2 ,whatever counsels have approved his creed1 ,the preface1 sure1 was his own act and deed4 ,our church will have the preface read1 you'll say3 ',tis true1 but so she will the ,apocrypha2 ,and such as can believe them freely may4 ,but did that ,god1 so little understood1 ,whose darling attribute is being good1 ,from the dark womb of the rude chaos bring ,such various creatures1 and make man their king1 ,yet leave his favourite1 man1 his chiefest care1 ,more wretched than the vilest insects are8 ,o6 how much happier and more safe are they1 ,if helpless millions must be doom'd a prey ,to yelling furies1 and for ever burn ,in that sad place1 from whence is no return1 ,for unbelief in one they never knew1 ,or for not doing what they could not do6 ,the very fiends know for what crime they fell1 ,and so do all their followers that rebell2 ,if then a blind1 well-meaning ,indian stray1 ,shall the great gulph be shewed him for the way8 ,for better ends our kind ,redeemer died1 ,or the fallen angels' rooms will be but ill supplied4 ,that ,christ1 who at the great deciding day1 7,for he declares what he resolves to say17 ,will damn the goats for their ill-natured faults1 ,and save the sheep for actions1 not for thoughts1 ,hath too much mercy to send them to hell1 ,for humble charity1 and hoping well4 ,to what stupidity are zealots grown1 ,whose inhumanity1 profusely shewn ,in damning crowds of souls1 may damn their own6 ,i'll err1 at least1 on the securer side1 ,a convert free from malice and from pride4 ,,roscommon4 ,,to ,,mr ,,dryden1 ,,on ,,his ,,poem ,,called ,,religio ,,laici4 ,great is the task1 and worthy such a muse1 ,to do faith right1 yet reason disabuse4 ,how cheerfully the soul does take its flight ,on faith's strong wings1 guided by reason's light8 ,but reason does in vain her beams display1 ,shewing to th' place1 whence first she came1 the way1 ,if ,peter's heirs must still hold fast the key4 ,the house1 which many mansions should contain1 ,formed by the great wise ,architect in vain1 ,of disproportion justly we accuse1 ,if the strait gate still entrance must refuse1 ,the only free enriching port ,god made1 ,what shameful monopoly did invade8 ,one factious company engrossed the trade4 ,thou to the distant shore hast safely sailed1 ,where the best pilots have so often failed4 ,freely we now may buy the pearl of price2 ,the happy land abounds with fragrant spice1 ,and nothing is forbidden there but vice4 ,thou best ,columbus to the unknown world6 ,mountains of doubt1 that in thy way were hurled1 ,thy generous faith has bravely overcome1 ,and made heaven truly our familiar home4 ,let crowds impossibilities receive2 ,who cannot think1 ought not to disbelieve4 ,let them pay tithes1 and hood-winked go to heaven2 ,but sure the quaker could not be forgiven1 ,had not the clerk1 who hates lay-policy1 ,found out1 to countervail the injury1 ,swearing1 a trade of which they are not free4 ,too long has captive reason been enslaved1 ,by visions scared1 and airy phantasms braved1 ,list'ning to each proud enthusiastic fool1 ,pretending conscience1 but designing rule2 ,whilst law1 form1 interest1 ignorance1 design1 ,did in the holy cheat together join4 ,like vain astrologers1 gazing on the skies1 ,we fall1 and did not dare to trust our eyes4 ',tis time at last to fix the trembling soul1 ,and by thy compass to point out the pole2 ,all men agree in what is to be done1 ,and each man's heart his table is of stone1 ,where he the god-writ character may view2 ,were it as needful1 faith had been so too4 ,oh1 that our greatest fault were humble doubt1 ,and that we were more just1 though less devout6 ,what reverence should we pay thy sacred rhymes1 ,who1 in those factious too-believing times1 ,has taught us to obey1 and to distrust2 ,yet1 to ourselves1 our king1 and ,god1 prove just4 ,thou want'st not praise from an insuring friend2 ,the poor to thee on double interest lend4 ,so strong thy reasons1 and so clear thy sense1 ,they bring1 like day1 their own bright evidence2 ,yet1 whilst mysterious truths to light you bring1 ,and heavenly things in heavenly numbers sing1 ,the joyful younger choir may clap the wing4 ,,to ,,mr ,,dryden1 ,,on ,,religio ,,laici4 ',tis nobly done1 a layman's creed profest1 ,when all our faith of late hung on a priest2 ,his doubtful words1 like oracles received1 ,and1 when we could not understand1 believed4 ,triumphant faith now takes a nobler course1 ,tis gentle1 but resists intruding force4 ,weak reason may pretend an awful sway1 ,and consistories charge her to obey2 7,strange nonsense1 to confine the sacred ,dove1 ,and narrow rules prescribe how he shall love1 ,and how upon the barren waters move47 ,but she rejects and scorns their proud pretence1 ,and1 whilst those grovling things depend on sense1 ,she mounts on certain wings1 and flies on high1 ,and looks upon a dazzling mystery1 ,with fixed1 and steady1 and an eagle's eye4 ,great king of verse1 that dost instruct and please1 ,as ,orpheus softened the rude savages2 ,and gently freest us from a double care1 ,the bold ,socinian1 and the papal chair3 ,thy judgment is correct1 thy fancy young1 ,thy numbers1 as thy generous faith1 are strong3 ,whilst through dark prejudice they force their way1 ,our souls shake off the night1 and view the day4 ,we live secure from mad enthusiasts' rage1 ,and fond tradition1 now grown blind with age4 ,let factious and ambitious souls repine1 ,thy reason's strong1 and generous thy design2 ,and always to do well is only thine4 ,,tho4 ,,creech4 ,,religio ,,laici4 ,dim as the borrowed beams of moon and stars ,to lonely1 weary1 wandering travellers1 ,is reason to the soul3 and as1 on high1 ,those rolling fires discover but the sky1 ,not light us here2 so reason's glimmering ray ,was lent1 not to assure our doubtful way1 ,but guide us upward to a better day4 ,and as those nightly tapers disappear1 ,when day's bright lord ascends our hemisphere2 ,so pale grows reason at religion's sight1 ,so dies1 and so dissolves in supernatural light4 ,some few1 whose lamp shone brighter1 have been led ,from cause to cause1 to nature's sacred head1 ,and found that one ,first ,principle must be3 ,but what1 or who1 that universal ,he2 ,whether some soul encompassing this ball1 ,unmade1 unmoved2 yet making1 moving all2 ,or various atoms' interfering dance ,leaped into form1 the noble work of chance2 ,or this great ,all was from eternity1-- ,not even the ,stagyrite himself could see1 ,and ,epicurus guessed as well as he4 ,as blindly groped they for a future state1 ,as rashly judged of providence and fate2 ,but least of all could their endeavours find ,what most concerned the good of human kind2 ,for happiness was never to be found1 ,but vanished from them like enchanted ground4#bi ,one thought content the good to be enjoyed2 ,this every little accident destroyed3 ,the wiser madmen did for virtue toil1 ,a thorny1 or1 at best1 a barren soil3 ,in pleasure some their glutton souls would steep2 ,but found their line too short1 the well too deep1 ,and leaky vessels which no bliss could keep4 ,thus anxious thoughts in endless circles roll1 ,without a centre where to fix the soul3 ,in this wild maze their vain endeavours end3-- ,how can the less the greater comprehend8 ,or finite reason reach infinity8 ,for what could fathom ,god were more than he4 ,the ,deist thinks he stands on firmer ground2 ,cries ,greek3 eureka6 the mighty secret's found3 ,god is that spring of good1 supreme and best1 ,we made to serve1 and in that service blest2 ,if so1 some rules of worship must be given1 ,distributed alike to all by heaven2 ,else ,god were partial1 and to some denied ,the means his justice should for all provide4 ,this general worship is to praise and pray2 ,one part to borrow blessings1 one to pay2 ,and when frail nature slides into offence1 ,the sacrifice for crimes is penitence4 ,yet since the effects of providence1 we find1 ,are variously dispensed to human kind2 ,that vice triumphs1 and virtue suffers here1 ,a brand that sovereign justice cannot bear2 ,our reason prompts us to a future state1 ,the last appeal from fortune and from fate1 ,where ,god's all righteous ways will be declared2 ,the bad meet punishment1 the good reward4 ,thus man by his own strength to heaven would soar1 ,and would not be obliged to ,god for more4 ,vain wretched creature1 how art thou misled1 ,to think thy wit these god-like notions bred6 ,these truths are not the product of thy mind1 ,but dropt from heaven1 and of a nobler kind4 ,revealed religion first informed thy sight1 ,and reason saw not till faith sprung the light4 ,hence all thy natural worship takes the source2 ',tis revelation what thou think'st discourse4 ,else how com'st thou to see these truths so clear1 ,which so obscure to heathens did appear8 ,not ,plato these1 nor ,aristotle found1 ,nor he whose wisdom oracles renowned4 ,hast thou a wit so deep1 or so sublime1 ,or canst thou lower dive1 or higher climb8 ,canst thou by reason more of godhead know ,than ,plutarch1 ,seneca1 or ,cicero8 ,those giant wits1 in happier ages born1 ,when arms and arts did ,greece and ,rome adorn1 ,knew no such system2 no such piles could raise ,of natural worship1 built on prayer and praise ,to one sole ,god2 ,nor did remorse to expiate sin prescribe1 ,but slew their fellow-creatures for a bribe3 ,the guiltless victim groaned for their offence1 ,and cruelty and blood was penitence4 ,if sheep and oxen could atone for men1 ,ah6 at how cheap a rate the rich might sin6 ,and great oppressors might heaven's wrath beguile1 ,by offering his own creatures for a spoil6 ,darest thou1 poor worm1 offend ,infinity8 ,and must the terms of peace be given by thee8 ,then thou art justice in the last appeal2 ,thy easy ,god instructs thee to rebel2 ,and1 like a king remote and weak1 must take ,what satisfaction thou art pleased to make4 ,but if there be a ,power too just and strong1 ,to wink at crimes1 and bear unpunished wrong2 ,look humbly upward1 see his will disclose ,the forfeit first1 and then the fine impose2 ,a mulct thy poverty could never pay1 ,had not ,eternal ,wisdom found the way1 ,and with celestial wealth supplied thy store2 ,his justice makes the fine1 his mercy quits the score4 ,see ,god descending in thy human frame2 ,the offended suffering in the offender's name2 ,all thy misdeeds to him imputed see1 ,and all his righteousness devolved on thee4 ,for1 granting we have sinned1 and that the offence ,of man is made against ,omnipotence1 ,some price that bears proportion must be paid4 ,and infinite with infinite be weighed4 ,see then the ,deist lost3 remorse for vice ,not paid1 or paid inadequate in price3 ,what farther means can reason now direct1 ,or what relief from human wit expect8 ,that shews us sick2 and sadly are we sure ,still to be sick1 till heaven reveal the cure3 ,if then heaven's will must needs be understood1 ,which must1 if we want cure1 and heaven be good1 ,let all records of will revealed be shown2 ,with scripture all in equal balance thrown1 ,and our one sacred ,book will be that one4 ,proof needs not here2 for1 whether we compare ,that impious1 idle1 superstitious ware ,of rites1 lustrations1 offerings1 which before1 ,in various ages1 various countries bore1 ,with christian faith and virtues1 we shall find ,none answering the great ends of human kind1 ,but this one rule of life2 that shews us best ,how ,god may be appeased1 and mortals blest4 ,whether from length of time its worth we draw1 ,the word is scarce more ancient than the law3 ,heaven's early care prescribed for every age2 ,first1 in the soul1 and after1 in the page4 ,or1 whether more abstractedly we look1 ,or on the writers1 or the written book1 ,whence1 but from heaven1 could men unskilled in arts1 ,in several ages born1 in several parts1 ,weave such agreeing truths8 or how1 or why ,should all conspire to cheat us with a lie8 ,unasked their pains1 ungrateful their advice1 ,starving their gain1 and martyrdom their price4 ,if on the book itself we cast our view1 ,concurrent heathens prove the story true3 ,the doctrine1 miracles2 which must convince1 ,for heaven in them appeals to human sense2 ,and1 though they prove not1 they confirm the cause1 ,when what is taught agrees with nature's laws4 ,then for the style1 majestic and divine1 ,it speaks no less than ,god in every line2 ,commanding words1 whose force is still the same ,as the first fiat that produced our frame4 ,all faiths1 beside1 or did by arms ascend1 ,or sense indulged has made mankind their friend2 ,this only doctrine does our lusts oppose1 ,unfed by nature's soil1 in which it grows2 ,cross to our interests1 curbing sense1 and sin2 ,oppressed without1 and undermined within1 ,it thrives through pain2 it's own tormentors tires1 ,and with a stubborn patience still aspires4 ,to what can reason such effects assign1 ,transcending nature1 but to laws divine8 ,which in that sacred volume are contained1 ,sufficient1 clear1 and for that use ordained4 ,but stay3 the ,deist here will urge anew1 ,no supernatural worship can be true2 ,because a general law is that alone ,which must to all1 and every where1 be known2 ,a style so large as not this book can claim1 ,nor aught that bears revealed religion's name4 ',tis said1 the sound of a ,messiah's birth ,is gone through all the habitable earth2 ,but still that text must be confined alone ,to what was then inhabited1 and known3 ,and what provision could from thence accrue ,to ,indian souls1 and worlds discovered new8 ,in other parts it helps1 that1 ages past1 ,the scriptures there were known1 and were embraced1 ,till sin spread once again the shades of night3 ,what's that to these who never saw the light8 ,of all objections this indeed is chief1 ,to startle reason1 stagger frail belief3 ,we grant1 'tis true1 that heaven from human sense ,has hid the secrets paths of providence2 ,but boundless wisdom1 boundless mercy1 may ,find even for those bewildered souls a way4 ,if from his nature foes may pity claim1 ,much more may strangers1 who ne'er heard his name2 ,and1 though no name be for salvation known1 ,but that of his eternal sons#cj alone2 ,who knows how far transcending goodness can ,extend the merits of that son to man8 ,who knows what reasons may his mercy lead1 ,or ignorance invincible may plead8 ,not only charity bids hope the best1 ,but more the great apostle has exprest3 ,that1 if the ,gentiles1 whom no law inspired1 ,by nature did what was by law required2 ,they1 who the written rule had never known1 ,were to themselves both rule and law alone2 ,to nature's plain indictment they shall plead1 ,and by their conscience be condemned or freed4 ,most righteous doom6 because a rule revealed ,is none to those from whom it was concealed4 ,then those1 who followed reason's dictates right1 ,lived up1 and lifted high their natural light1 ,with ,socrates may see their ,maker's face1 ,while thousand rubric-martyrs want a place4 ,nor does it baulk my charity1 to find ,the ,egyptian bishop of another mind2 ,for1 though his creed eternal truth contains1 ',tis hard for man to doom to endless pains ,all1 who believed not all his zeal required2 ,unless he first could prove he was inspired4 ,then let us either think he meant to say1 ,this faith1 where published1 was the only way2 ,or else conclude1 that1 ,arius to confute1 ,the good old man1 too eager in dispute1 ,flew high2 and1 as his christian fury rose1 ,damned all for heretics who durst oppose4 ,thus far my charity this path has tried2 ,a much unskilful1 but well-meaning guide3 ,yet what they are1 even these crude thoughts were bred ,by reading that which better thou hast read2 ,thy matchless author's work1 which thou1 my friend1 ,by well translating better dost commend2#ca ,those youthful hours which1 of thy equals1 most ,in toys have squandered1 or in vice have lost1 ,those hours hast thou to nobler use employed1 ,and the severe delights of truth enjoyed4 ,witness this weighty book1 in which appears ,the crabbed toil of many thoughtful years1 ,spent by thy author1 in the sifting care ,of rabbins' old sophisticated ware ,from gold divine2 which he who well can sort ,may afterwards make algebra a sport2 ,a treasure which1 if country-curates buy1 ,they ,junius and ,tremellius may defy2#cb ,save pains in various readings and translations1 ,and without ,hebrew make most learned quotations2 ,a work so full with various learning fraught1 ,so nicely pondered1 yet so strongly wrought1 ,as nature's height and art's last hand required2 ,as much as man could compass1 uninspired2 ,where we may see what errors have been made ,both in the copiers' and translators' trade2 ,how ,jewish1 ,popish1 interests have prevailed1 ,and where infallibility has failed4 ,for some1 who have his secret meaning guessed1 ,have found our author not too much a priest2 ,for fashion-sake he seems to have recourse ,to pope1 and councils1 and traditions' force2 ,but he that old traditions' could subdue1 ,could not but find the weakness of the new3 ,if scripture1 though derived from heavenly birth1 ,has been but carelessly preserved on earth2 ,if ,god's own people1 who of ,god before ,knew what we know1 and had been promised more1 ,in fuller terms1 of heaven's assisting care1 ,and who did neither time nor study spare ,to keep this book untainted1 unperplext1 ,let in gross errors to corrupt the text1 ,omitted paragraphs1 embroiled the sense1 ,with vain traditions stopt the gaping fence1 ,which every common hand pulled up with ease1-- ,what safety from such brushwood-helps as these8 ,if written words from time are not secure1 ,how can we think have oral sounds endured8 ,which thus transmitted1 if one mouth has failed1 ,immortal lies on ages are entailed2 ,and that some such have been1 is proved too plain1 ,if we consider interest1 church1 and gain4 ,o but1 says one1 tradition set side1 ,where can we hope for an unerring guide8 ,for1 since the original scripture has been lost1 ,all copies disagreeing1 maimed the most1 ,or ,christian faith can have no certain ground1 ,or truth in church-tradition must be found4 ,such an omniscient church we wish indeed2 ',twere worth both ,testaments1 cast in the ,creed3 ,but if this mother be a guide so sure1 ,as can all doubts resolve1 all truth secure1 ,then her infallibility as well ,where copies are corrupt or lame can tell2 ,restore lost canon with as little pains1 ,as truly explicate what still remains2 ,which yet no council dare pretend to do1 ,unless1 like ,esdras1 they could write it new2 ,strange confidence still to interpret true1 ,yet not be sure that all they have explained1 ,is in the blest original contained4 ,more safe1 and much more modest 'tis1 to say ,god would not leave mankind without a way2 ,and that the scriptures1 though not every where ,free from corruption1 or entire1 or clear1 ,are uncorrupt1 sufficient1 clear1 entire1 ,in all things which our needful faith require4 ,if others in the same glass better see1 ',tis for themselves they look1 but not for me2 ,for my salvation must its doom receive1 ,not from what others1 but what ,i believe4 ,must all tradition then be set aside8 ,this to affirm were ignorance or pride4 ,are there not many points1 some needful sure ,to saving faith1 that scripture leaves obscure8 ,which every sect will wrest a several way1 ,for what one sect interprets1 all sects may2 ,we hold1 and say we prove from scripture plain1 ,that ,christ is ,god2 the bold ,socinian ,from the same scripture urges he's but man4#cc ,now what appeal can end the important suit8 ,both parts talk loudly1 but the rule is mute4 ,shall ,i speak plain1 and1 in a nation free1 ,assume an honest layman's liberty8 ,i think1 according to my little skill1 ,to my own mother-church submitting still1 ,that many have been saved1 and many may1 ,who never heard this question brought in play4 ,the unlettered ,christian1 who believes in gross1 ,plods on to heaven1 and ne'er is at a loss2 ,for the strait gate would be made straiter yet1 ,were none admitted there but men of wit4 ,the few by nature formed1 with learning fraught1 ,born to instruct1 as others to be taught1 ,must study well the sacred page2 and see ,which doctrine1 this or that1 does best agree ,with the whole tenor of the work divine1 ,and plainliest points to heaven's revealed design2 ,which exposition flows from genuine sense1 ,and which is forced by wit and eloquence4 ,not that tradition's parts are useless here1 ,when general1 old1 disinterested1 and clear2 ,that ancient fathers thus expound the page1 ,gives truth the reverend majesty of age2 ,confirms its force by bideing every test2 ,for best authorities1 next rules1 are best2 ,and still the nearer to the spring we go1 ,more limpid1 more unsoiled1 the waters flow4 ,thus1 first1 traditions were a proof alone2 ,could we be certain1 such they were1 so known2 ,but since some flaws in long descent may be1 ,they make not truth1 but probability4 ,even ,arius and ,pelagius durst provoke ,to what the centuries preceding spoke3#cd ,such difference is there in an oft-told tale2 ,but truth by its own sinews will prevail4 ,tradition written1 therefore1 more commends ,authority1 than what from voice descends2 ,and this1 as perfect as its kind can be1 ,rolls down to us the sacred history2 ,which from the universal church received1 ,is tried1 and1 after1 for itself believed4 ,the partial ,papists would infer from hence1 ,their church1 in last resort1 should judge the sense4 ,but first they would assume1 with wonderous art1 ,themselves to be the whole1 who are but part ,of that vast frame1 the ,church2 yet grant they were ,the handers down1 can they from thence infer ,a right to interpret8 or1 would they alone1 ,who brought the present1 claim it for their own8 ,the book's a common largess to mankind1 ,not more for them than every man designed2 ,the welcome news is in the letter found2 ,the carrier's not commissioned to expound4 ,it speaks itself1 and what it does contain1 ,in all things needful to be known1 is plain4 ,in times o'ergrown with rust and ignorance1 ,a gainful trade their clergy did advance2 ,when want of learning kept the laymen low1 ,and none but priests were authorized to know2 ,when what small knowledge was1 in them did dwell1 ,and he a god1 who could but read and spell1-- ,then mother ,church did mightily prevail3 ,she parcelled out the ,bible by retail2 ,but still expounded what she sold or gave1 ,to keep it in her power to damn and save4 ,scripture was scarce1 and1 as the market went1 ,poor laymen took salvation on content1 ,as needy men take money1 good or bad4 ,god's word they had not1 but the priest's they had2 ,yet whate'er false conveyances they made1 ,the lawyer still was certain to be paid4 ,in those dark times they learned their knack so well1 ,that by long use they grew infallible4 ,at last1 a knowing age began to enquire ,if they the book1 or that did them inspire2 ,and1 making narrower search1 they found1 though late1 ,that what they thought the priest's1 was their estate2 ,taught by the will produced1 the written word1 ,how long they had been cheated on record4 ,then every man1 who saw the title fair1 ,claimed a child's part1 and put in for a share2 ,consulted soberly his private good1 ,and saved himself as cheap as e'er he could4 ',tis true1 my friend1--and far be flattery hence1-- ,this good had full as bad a consequence2 ,the book thus put in every vulgar hand1 ,which each presumed he best could understand1 ,the common rule was made the common prey1 ,and at the mercy of the rabble lay4 ,the tender page with horny fists was galled1 ,and he was gifted most1 that loudest bawled2 ,the spirit gave the doctoral degree1 ,and every member of a company ,was of his trade and of the ,bible free4 ,plain truths enough for needful use they found2 ,but men would still be itching to expound2 ,each was ambitious of the obscurest place1 ,no measure ta'en from knowledge1 all from grace4 ,study and pains were now no more their care2 ,texts were explained by fasting and by prayer3 ,this was the fruit the private spirit brought1 ,occasioned by great zeal and little thought4 ,while crowds unlearned1 with rude devotion warm1 ,about the sacred viands buz and swarm2 ,the fly-blown text creates a crawling brood1 ,and turns to maggots what was meant for food4#ce ,a thousand daily sects rise up and die2 ,a thousand more the perished race supply2 ,so all we make of heaven's discovered will1 ,is not to have it1 or to use it ill4 ,the danger's much the same2 on several shelves ,if others wreck us1 or we wreck ourselves4 ,what then remains1 but1 waving each extreme1 ,the tides of ignorance and pride to stem2 ,neither so rich a treasure to forego1 ,nor proudly seek beyond our power to know8 ,faith is not built on disquisitions vain2 ,the things we must believe are few and plain3 ,but since men will believe more than they need1 ,and every man will make himself a creed1 ,in doubtful questions 'tis the safest way ,to learn what unsuspected antients say2 ,for 'tis not likely we should higher soar ,in search of heaven1 than all the church before2 ,nor can we be deceived1 unless we see ,the scripture and the fathers disagree4 ,if1 after all1 they stand suspected still1 7,for no man's faith depends upon his will7 ',tis some relief1 that points1 not clearly known1 ,without much hazard may be let alone2 ,and1 after hearing what our church can say1 ,if still our reason runs another way1 ,that private reason 'tis more just to curb1 ,than by disputes the public peace disturb3 ,for points obscure are of small use to learn2 ,but common quiet is mankind's concern4 ,thus have ,i made my own opinions clear1 ,yet neither praise expect1 nor censure fear2 ,and this unpolished rugged verse ,i chose1 ,as fittest for discourse1 and nearest prose2 ,for while from sacred truth ,i do not swerve1 ,tom ,sternhold's1 or ,tom ,shadwell's rhymes will serve4#cf ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bi3 ,the author applies the same simile to the use of rhyme in tragedy2 ,passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound1 ,and nature flies him like enchanted ground4 ,prologue to ,aureng-,zebe4 ,footnote #cj3 ,all the editions read ,sons1 which seems to make a double genitive1 unless we construe the line to mean1 the name of his ,eternal ,son's salvation4 ,i own ,i should have been glad to have found an authority for reading ,son4 ,footnote #ca3 ,simon's ,critical ,history of the ,old ,testament1 translated by the young gentleman to whom the poem is addressed4--,see ,preface4 ,footnote #cb3 ,calvinistic divines1 who made translations of the ,scripture1 with commentaries1 on which ,pere ,simon makes learned criticisms4 ,footnote #cc3 ,the ,socinians1 or followers of ,lelius ,socinius1 denied the doctrine of the ,trinity and of ,redemption4 ,the modern ,unitarians have embraced some of the principles of this sect4 ,footnote #cd3 ,the founders of two noted heresies1 who1 nevertheless1 as the poet observes1 ventured to appeal to the traditions of the church in support of their doctrines4 ,footnote #ce3 ,perhaps this idea is borrowed from ,hudibras3 ,the learned write1 an insect breeze ,is but a mongrel prince of bees1 ,that falls before a storm on cows1 ,and stings the founders of his house1 ,from whose corrupted flesh1 that breed ,of vermin did at first proceed4 ,so1 ere the storm of war broke out1 ,religion spawned a various rout ,of petulant capricious sects1 ,the maggots of corrupted texts1 ,that first run all religion down1 ,and after every swarm its own4 ,hudibras1 ,part ,,iii4 canto #b4 ,footnote #cf3 ,the famous ,tom ,brown is pleased to droll on this association of persons2 being a part of the punishment which he says the laureat inflicted on ,shadwell for presuming to dispute his theatrical infallibility4 ,but1 gentlemen1 when ,i had thus1 in the plenitude of my power1 issued out the above-mentioned decretal epistles1 you cannot imagine what abundance of adversaries ,i created myself3 some were for appealing to a free unbiassed synod of impartial authors2 others were for suing out a quo warranto1 to examine the validity of my charter4 ,not to mention those of higher quality1 ,i was immediatly set upon by the fierce ,elkanah1 the ,empress of ,morocco's agent1 who at that time commanded a party of ,moorish horse1 in order to raise the siege of ,grenada2 and a fat old gouty gentleman1 commonly called the ,king of ,basan1 who had almost devoured the stage with free quarter for his men of wit and humourists4 ,but ,i countermined all their designs against my crown and person in a moment2 for ,i presently got the one to be dressed up in a sanbenit1 under the unsanctified name of ,doeg2 the other ,i coupled myself with his namesake ,tom ,sternhold4 ,being thus degraded from their poetical functions1 and become incapable of crowning princes1 raising ghosts1 and offering any more incense of flattery to the living and the dead1 ,i delivered them over to the secular arm1 to be chastised by the furious dapper-wits of the ,inns of ,court1 and the young critics of the university4 ,furthermore1 to prevent all infection of their errors1 ,i directed my monitory letters to the ,sieur ,batterton1 advising him to keep no correspondence1 either directly or indirectly1 with those aforesaid apostates from sense and reason2 adding1 that in case of neglect1 ,i would certainly put the theatre under an interdict1 send a troop of dragoons from ,drury-,lane to demolish his garrison in ,salisbury-court1 and absolve all his subjects1 even to the sub-deacons and acolythes of the stage1 his trusty door-keepers and candle-lighters1 from their oaths of fealty and allegiance4 ,reasons for ,mr ,bayes' changing his ,religion4 ,,threnodia ,,augustalis3 ,a ,,funeral ,,pindaric ,,poem1 ,,sacred ,,to ,,the ,,happy ,,memory ,,of ,,king ,,charles ,,ii4 ,fortunati ambo si quid mea carmina possunt1 ,nulla dies unquam memori vos eximet vo6 ,,threnodia ,,augustalis4 ,the death of ,charles ,,ii4 was sudden and unexpected4 ,after he had apparently completely subdued the popular party1 and was preparing1 as has been confidently alleged1 a similar conquest over the high-flying followers of the ,duke of ,york1 in the midst of his present triumph and future projects1 he was1 on the morning of the #b;d ,february1 #afhd-e1 seized with a sudden fit1 which resembled an apoplexy4 ,he was bled by one ,king1 a chemist1 who happened to be in waiting1 and experienced a temporary relief4 ,from the #b;d till the #fth1 he continued in a languishing state1 the ,duke of ,york being in constant attendance on his death-bed4 ,on the forenoon of the #fth1 ,charles died1 to the general grief of his subjects1 by whom he was personally beloved1 and who had reason to fear1 that his worst public measures would be followed out with more rigour by his successor4 ,a numerous host of rhymers stepped forward with their condolences upon this event4#cg ,among these1 we find few eminent names besides that of ,dryden4 ,otway1 indeed1 has left a poem on the subject1 called ,windsor ,castle2 and he began a pastoral1 which1 fortunately for his reputation1 he left unfinished4#ch ,from the laureat a deeper tone of lamentation was due4 ,but whether the sense of discharging a task1 a sense so chilling always to poetical imagination1 had fettered ,dryden's powers1 or from whatever other reason1 his funeral pindaric has not been esteemed one of his happiest lyric effusions4 ,it is devoid of any appearance of deep feeling on the part of the author himself4 ,this is the more remarkable1 as the manners of ,charles were eminently calculated to attract affection1 and ,dryden had been admitted to a greater share of royal intercourse than is usually necessary to excite the personal attachment of a subject to a condescending monarch4 ,but whether ,dryden1 as he is sometimes believed to have owned1 was unapt to feel or express the more tender passions1 or whether he saw the character of ,charles so closely1 as to discern the selfishness of his hollow courtesy1 it is certain that the poet seems wonderfully little interested in the sorrowful theme4 ,even when he mentions his literary intercourse with the deceased monarch1 he does not suppress a murmur1 that he was niggard in rewarding the muses whom he loved2 that ----little was their hire1 and light their gain4 ,this absence of personal feeling on the part of the author1 spreads a coldness over the whole elegy2 which we regret the less1 as the pensioned monarch ill deserved a deeper lamentation4 ,it is chiefly owing to this want of sympathy1 connected with an over indulgence in conceit1 a fault which immediately flows from the other1 being an effort of ingenuity to supply the want of passion1 that the ,threnodia ,augustalis has been neglected4 ,we have to lament some overstrained metaphors and similes4 ,the sun went back ten degrees in the dial of ,ahaz2 a miraculous sign that ,hezekiah was to live2 and this is compared to the five days during which the disease of ,charles gained ground1 until it was obvious that he was to die4 ,the prayers of the people carrying heaven by storm1 and almost forcing heaven to revoke his decrees1 is extravagant1 not to say profane4 ,yet1 with all its faults of coldness and conceit1 this poem seems rather to have been under-rated4 ,it appears to great advantage1 when compared with others on the same subject4 ,otway1 who affects a warmer display of passion1 a particular in which ,dryden is said to have acknowledged his superiority1 has fallen into the opposite fault1 of describing the death-bed rather of a tender husband or lover1 attended by his wife or mistress1 than that of a king waited on by his successor4#ci ,dryden's picture of the duke's grief is much more appropriate and striking3 ,horror in all his pomp was there1 ,mute and magnificent1 without a tear4 ,the joy of the people upon the fallacious prospect of the king's recovery1 is also a striking picture3 ,men met each other with erected look2 ,the steps were higher that they took2 ,friends to congratulate their friends made haste1 ,and long inveterate foes saluted as they past4 ,there are many other fine passages in the ,threnodia2 though the general effect is less impressive than might have been expected4 ,the description in the thirteenth stanza1 for example1 of the effects on poetry and literature produced by the ,restoration1 and that of the return of liberty1 ,without whose charms even peace would be ,but a dull quiet slavery1 are both striking4--,the character of ,charles2 his wit1 parts1 and powers of conversation2 his gentle manners1 and firmness of disposition1 which1 like a well-wrought blade1 kept1 even in yielding1 the native toughness of the steel1--are all themes of panegyric1 which1 though perhaps exaggerated1 are well-chosen1 and exquisitely brought out4 ,it is indeed a peculiar attribute of ,dryden's praise1 that it is always appropriate2 while the gross adulation of his contemporaries gave indiscriminately the same broad features to all their subjects1 and thereby very often converted their intended panegyric into satire1 not the less bitter because undesigned4 ,dryden1 for instance1 in this whole poem has never once mentioned the queen2 sensible that the gaiety of ,charles' life1 and his frequent amours1 rendered her conjugal grief1 which some of the elegiasts chose to describe in terms approaching to blasphemy1 an apocryphal1 as well as a delicate theme4#dj ,he knew1 that praise1 to do honour to the giver and receiver1 must either have a real foundation in desert1 or at least what1 by the skilful management of the poet1 may be easily represented as such4 ,having discussed the melancholy part of his subject1 the poet1 according to the approved custom in such cases1 finds cause for rejoicing in the succession of ,james1 as he had mourned over the death of his predecessor4 ,from his firmness of character1 and supposed military talents1 the poet prophesies a warlike and victorious reign3 a sad instance how seldom the poetic and prophetic character1 so often claimed1 are united in the same individual6 for ,james1 as is well known1 far from conquering foreign kingdoms1 did not draw the sword even to defend his own4 ,but very different events were expected1 and augured1 by the shoal of versifiers1 who now rushed forwards to gratulate his accession4#da ,the pindaric measure1 in which the ,threnodia ,augustalis is written1 contains nothing pleasing to modern ears4 ,the rhymes are occasionally so far disjoined1 that1 like a fashionable married couple1 they have nothing of union but the name4 ,the inequalities of the verse are also violent1 and remind us of ascending a broken and unequal stair-case4 ,but the age had been accustomed to this rythm1 which1 however improperly1 was considered as a genuine imitation of the style of ,pindar4 ,it must also be owned1 that wherever1 for a little way1 ,dryden uses a more regular measure1 he displays all his usual command of harmony4 ,the thirteenth stanza1 for example1 is as happily distinguished by melody of rhyme1 as we have already observed it is eminent in beauty of poetry4 ,the ,latin title of this poem1 like that of the ,religio ,laici1 savours somewhat of affectation2 and has been taxed by ,johnson as not strictly classical1 a more unpardonable fault4#db ,my learned friend1 ,dr ,adam1 has favoured me with the following defence of ,dryden's phrase3 ,with respect to the title which that great poet gives to his elegy on the death of ,charles1 making allowance for the taste of the times and the licence of poets in framing names1 ,i see no just foundation for ,johnson's criticism on the epithet ,augustalis4 ,threnodia is a word purely ,greek1 used by no ,latin author2 and ,augustalis denotes1 'in honour of ,augustus2' thus1 ludi ,augustales1 games instituted in honour of ,augustis1 ,tac4 ,an4 #a1 #ae and #ed2 so sacerdotes vel sodales ,augustales1 ib4 and #b1 #hc4 ,hist4 #b1 #ie4 ,now as ,augustus was a name given to the succeeding emperors1 ,i see no reason1 why ,augustalis may not be used to signify1 'in honour of any king4' ,besides1 the very word ,augustus denotes1 'venerable1 august1 royal3' and therefore ,threnodia ,augustalis may properly be put for1 ',an ,elegy in honour of an august ,prince4 ,the full title declared the poem to be written by ,john ,dryden1 servant to his late majesty1 and to the present king2 a style which our author did not generally assume1 but which the occasion rendered peculiarly proper4 ,the poem appears to have been popular1 as it went through two editions in the course of #afhe4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cg3 ,the following ,nnia1 among others1 occur in ,mr ,luttrell's ,collection3 ,a ,pindarick ,ode1 by ,sir ,f4 ,f4 ,knight of the ,bath4 ,a ,pindarick ,ode on the ,death of our late ,sovereign1 with an ancient ,prophecy on his present ,majesty1 by ,afra ,behn4 ,a ,poem1 humbly dedicated to the ,great ,pattern of ,piety and ,virtue1 ,catherine1 ,queen ,dowager1 on the ,death of her dear ,lord and ,husband1 ,king ,charles ,,ii4 ,by the ,same4 7#dth ,april1 #afhe47 ,the ,vision1 a ,pindarick ,ode1 by ,edmund ,arwaker1 ,m4 ,a4 ,the ,second ,part of ,ditto1 on the ,coronation of ,james and ,mary4 ,this author poured forth a similar effusion upon the death of ,queen ,mary4 ,a ,pindarick ,ode on the ,death of ,charles ,,ii1 by ,j4 ,h4 ,ireland's ,tears to the sacred ,memory of our late ,dread ,sovereign1 ,king ,charles ,,ii41 #aath ,april1 #afhe4 ,pietas universitatis ,oxoniensis in obitum augustissimi et desideratissimi ,regis ,caroli ,secundi4 ,duke1 and others1 also invoked ,melpomene on this mournful occasion3 but1 perhaps1 the most remarkable of all these lamentations is1 ,the ,quaker's ,elegy on the ,death of ,charles1 late ,king of ,england1 written by ,w4 ,p4 a sincere lover of ,charles and ,james2 7#cast ,march1 #afhe47 ,tears wiped off1 a ,second ,part1 on the ,coronation1 7#bb;d ,april47 ,this curious dirge begins thus3 ,what wondrous change in waking do ,i find1 ,for a strange something does my sense unbind2 ,truth has possessed my darkened soul all o'er ,with an unusual light1 not known before2 ,and doth inform me1 that some star is gone1 ,from whose kind influence we had life alone4 ,no sooner had this stranger seized my soul1 ,but ,rachel knocked1 to raise me from my bed1 ,and1 with a voice of sorrow1 did condole ,the loss of ,charles1 whom she declared was dead2 ,charles dost thou mean we ,king of ,england call1 ,that lived within the mansion of ,whitehall8 ,yes--'tis too true1 c4 ,footnote #ch3 ,windsor ,castle1 in a monument to our late1 sovereign1 ,king ,charles ,,ii41 contains some striking passages4 ,but1 for the tenuity of the pastoral1 even the taste of the age can hardly excuse the author of ,venice ,preserved4 ,for example3 ,ye tender lambs1 stray not so fast away2 ,to weep and mourn1 let us together stay2 ,o'er all the universe let it be spread1 ,that now the shepherd of the flock is dead2 ,the royal ,pan1 that shepherd of the sheep1 ,he1 who to leave his flock did dying weep1 ,is gone6 ,ah6 gone1 ne'er to return from death's eternal sleep4 ,footnote #ci3 ,we shall here insert the last meeting of the royal brothers1 as described in ,windsor ,castle1 which the reader may contrast with the same theme in the ,threnodia3 ,here1 painter1 if thou can'st1 thy art improve1 ,and show the wonders of fraternal love2 ,how mourning ,james by fading ,charles did stand1 ,the dying grasping the surviving hand2 ,how round each others necks their arms they cast1 ,moaned1 with endearing murmurings1 and embraced2 ,and of their parting pangs such marks did give1 ',twere hard to guess which yet could longest live4 ,both their sad tongues quite lost the power to speak1 ,and their kind hearts seemed both prepared to break4 ,footnote #dj3 ,perhaps the most extraordinary instance of flattery1 wrought up to impiety1 occurs in ,mrs ,behn's address to the queen on the death of her husband3 ,methinks ,i see you like the queen of heaven1 ,to whom all patience and all grace was given2 ,when the great lord of life himself was laid ,upon her lap1 all wounded1 pale1 and dead2 ,transpierced with anguish1 even to death transformed1 ,so she bewailed her god1 so sighed1 so mourned1 ,so his blest image in her heart remained1 ,so his blest memory o'er her soul still reigned2 ,she lived the sacred victim to deplore1 ,and never knew1 or wished a pleasure more4 ,footnote #da3 ,these are even more numerous than the ,elegiasts on ,charles's death4 ,in the ,luttrell ,collection there are the following rare pieces4 ,panegyris ,jacobi serenissimi1 c4 regi ipso die inaugurationis4 ,a ,poem on ,do4 by ,r4 ,philips4 ,on ,do4 by a ,young ,gentleman4 ,a ,panegyrick on ,do4 by the ,author of the ,plea for ,succession4 ,a ,new ,song on ,do4 ,a ,poem on ,do4 by ,john ,philips4 ,a ,poem upon the ,coronation1 by ,j4 ,baber1 ,esq4 ,a ,pindarique to their ,sacred ,majesties on their ,coronation4 ,a ,poem on ,do4 by ,r4 ,mansell1 ,gent4 ,a ,panegyrick on ,do4 by ,peter ,ker2 with whose rapturous invitation to the ships to strand themselves for joy1 we shall conclude the list3 ,let subjects sing1 bells ring1 and cannons roar2 ,and every ship come dancing to the shore4 ,footnote #db3 ,dryden1 perhaps1 recollected the poem of ,fitzpayne ,fisher on ,cromwell's death1 entitled1 ,threnodia ,triumphalis in obitum serenissimi ,nostri ,principis ,olivari1 ,angli ,scoti ,hiberni cum dominationibus ubicunque jacentibus ,nuperi protectoris1 7,qui obiit4 ,septemb4 #ctio47 ,ubi stupend passim victori1 et incredibiles domi forasque successus1 ,heroico carmine1 succinctim perstringuntur4 ,per ,fitzpaynum ,piscatorem4 ,londini1 #afeh4 ,,threnodia ,,augustalis4 ,i4 ,thus long my grief has kept me dumb3 ,sure there's a lethargy in mighty woe1 ,tears stand congealed1 and cannot flow2 ,and the sad soul retires into her inmost room3 ,tears1 for a stroke foreseen1 afford relief2 ,but1 unprovided for a sudden blow1 ,like ,niobe1 we marble grow1 ,and petrify with grief4 ,our ,british heaven was all serene1 ,no threatening cloud was nigh1 ,not the least wrinkle to deform the sky2 ,we lived as unconcerned and happily ,as the first age in nature's golden scene2 ,supine amidst our flowing store1 ,we slept securely1 and we dreamt of more2 ,when suddenly the thunder-clap was heard1 ,it took us1 unprepared1 and out of guard1 ,already lost before we feared4 ,the amazing news of ,charles at once were spread1 ,at once the general voice declared1 ,our gracious prince was dead4 ,no sickness known before1 no slow disease1 ,to soften grief by just degrees2 ,but1 like an hurricane on ,indian seas1 ,the tempest rose2 ,an unexpected burst of woes1#dc ,with scarce a breathing space betwixt1 ,this now becalmed1 and perishing the next4 ,as if great ,atlas from his height ,should sink beneath his heavenly weight1 ,and1 with a mighty flaw1 the flaming wall1 ,as once it shall1 ,should gape immense1 and1 rushing down1 o'erwhelm this nether ball2 ,so swift and so surprising was our fear3 ,our ,atlas fell indeed2 but ,hercules was near4#dd ,,ii4 ,his pious brother1 sure the best ,who ever bore that name1 ,was newly risen from his rest1 ,and1 with a fervent flame1 ,his usual morning vows had just addrest1 ,for his dear sovereign's health2 ,and hoped to have them heard1 ,in long increase of years1 ,in honour1 fame1 and wealth3 ,guiltless of greatness1 thus he always prayed1 ,nor knew nor wished those vows he made1 ,on his own head should be repaid4 ,soon as the ill-omen'd rumour reached his ear1 7,ill news is winged with fate1 and flies apace17 ,who can describe the amazement of his face6 ,horror in all his pomp was there1 ,mute and magnificent1 without a tear2 ,and then the hero first was seen to fear4 ,half unarrayed he ran to his relief1 ,so hasty and so artless was his grief3 ,approaching greatness met him with her charms ,of power and future state2 ,but looked so ghastly in a brother's fate1 ,he shook her from his arms4 ,arrived within the mournful room1 he saw ,a wild distraction1 void of awe1 ,and arbitrary grief unbounded by a law4 ,god's image1 ,god's anointed1 lay ,without motion1 pulse1 or breath1 ,a senseless lump of sacred clay1 ,an image now of death1 ,amidst his sad attendants' groans and cries1 ,the lines of that adored forgiving face1 ,distorted from their native grace2 ,an iron slumber sat on his majestic eyes4 ,the pious duke--,forbear1 audacious muse6 ,no terms thy feeble art can use ,are able to adorn so vast a woe3 ,the grief of all the rest like subject-grief did show1 ,his1 like a sovereign's1 did transcend2 ,no wife1 no brother1 such a grief could know1 ,nor any name but friend4 ,,iii4 ,o wondrous changes of a fatal scene1 ,still varying to the last6 ,heaven1 though its hard decree was past1 ,seemed pointing to a gracious turn again3 ,and death's uplifted arm arrested in its haste4 ,heaven half repented of the doom1 ,and almost grieved it had foreseen1 ,what by foresight it willed eternally to come4 ,mercy above did hourly plead ,for her resemblance here below2 ,and mild forgiveness intercede ,to stop the coming blow4 ,new miracles approached the etherial throne1 ,such as his wonderous life had oft and lately known1 ,and urged that still they might be shown4 ,on earth his pious brother prayed and vowed1 ,renouncing greatness at so dear a rate1 ,himself defending what he could1 ,from all the glories of his future fate4 ,with him the innumerable crowd ,of armed prayers ,knocked at the gates of heaven1 and knocked aloud2 ,the first well-meaning rude petitioners4#de ,all for his life assailed the throne1 ,all would have bribed the skies by offering up their own4 ,so great a throng1 not heaven itself could bar2 ',twas almost borne by force1 as in the giants' war4 ,the prayers1 at least1 for his reprieve were heard2 ,his death1 like ,hezekiah's1 was deferred3 ,against the sun the shadow went2 ,five days1 those five degrees1 were lent1 ,to form our patience1 and prepare the event4#df ,the second causes took the swift command1 ,the medicinal head1 the ready hand1 ,all eager to perform their part2#dg ,all but eternal doom was conquered by their art3 ,once more the fleeting soul came back ,to inspire the mortal frame2 ,and in the body took a doubtful stand1 ,doubtful and hovering1 like expiring flame1 ,that mounts and falls by turns1 and trembles o'er the brand4 ,,iv4 ,the joyful short-lived news soon spread around1#dh ,took the same train1 the same impetuous bound3 ,the drooping town in smiles again was drest1 ,gladness in every face exprest1 ,their eyes before their tongues confest4 ,men met each other with erected look1 ,the steps were higher that they took2 ,friends to congratulate their friends made haste1 ,and long inveterate foes saluted as they past4 ,above the rest heroic ,james appeared1 ,exalted more1 because he more had feared4 ,his manly heart1 whose noble pride ,was still above ,dissembled hate1 or varnished love1 ,its more than common transport could not hide2 ,but like an eagre#di rode in triumph o'er the tide4 ,thus1 in alternate course1 ,the tyrant passions1 hope and fear1 ,did in extremes appear1 ,and flashed upon the soul with equal force4 ,thus1 at half ebb1 a rolling sea ,returns1 and wins upon the shore2 ,the watery herd1 affrighted at the roar1 ,rest on their fins awhile1 and stay1 ,then backward take their wondering way3 ,the prophet wonders more than they1 ,at prodigies but rarely seen before1 ,and cries1--a king must fall1 or kingdoms change their sway4 ,such were our counter-tides at land1 and so ,presaging of the fatal blow1 ,in their prodigious ebb and flow4 ,the royal soul1 that1 like the labouring moon1 ,by charms of art was hurried down1 ,forced with regret to leave her native sphere1 ,came but a while on liking#ej here3 ,soon weary of the painful strife1 ,and made but faint essays of life3 ,an evening light ,soon shut in night2 ,a strong distemper1 and a weak relief1 ,short intervals of joy1 and long returns of grief4 ,v4 ,the sons of art all med'cines tried1 ,and every noble remedy applied2 ,with emulation each essayed ,his utmost skill2 nay1 more1 they prayed3 ,never was losing game with better conduct played4 ,death never won a stake with greater toil1 ,nor e'er was fate so near a foil3 ,but1 like a fortress on a rock1 ,the impregnable disease their vain attempts did mock2 ,they mined it near1 they battered from afar ,with all the cannon of the medicinal war2 ,no gentle means could be essayed1 ',twas beyond parley when the siege was laid4 ,the extremest ways they first ordain1 ,prescribing such intolerable pain1 ,as none but ,csar could sustain3 ,undaunted ,csar underwent ,the malice of their art1 nor bent ,beneath whate'er their pious rigour could invent4 ,in five such days he suffered more ,than any suffered in his reign before2 ,more1 infinitely more1 than he1 ,against the worst of rebels could decree1 ,a traitor1 or twice pardoned enemy4 ,now art was tired without success1 ,no racks could make the stubborn malady confess4 ,the vain insurancers of life1 ,and he who most performed1 and promised less1 ,even ,short#ea himself1 forsook the unequal strife4 ,death and despair was in their looks1 ,no longer they consult their memories or books2 ,like helpless friends1 who view from shore ,the labouring ship1 and hear the tempest roar2 ,so stood they with their arms across1 ,not to assist1 but to deplore ,the inevitable loss4 ,,vi4 ,death was denounced2 that frightful sound ,which even the best can hardly bear2 ,he took the summons void of fear1 ,and unconcernedly cast his eyes around1 ,as if to find and dare the grisly challenger4 ,what death could do he lately tried1 ,when in four days he more than died4 ,the same assurance all his words did grace2 ,the same majestic mildness held its place2 ,nor lost the monarch in his dying face4 ,intrepid1 pious1 merciful1 and brave1 ,he looked as when he conquered and forgave4 ,,vii4 ,as if some angel had been sent ,to lengthen out his government1 ,and to foretel as many years again1 ,as he had numbered in his happy reign2 ,so cheerfully he took the doom ,of his departing breath1 ,nor shrunk nor stept aside for death2 ,but1 with unaltered pace1 kept on1 ,providing for events to come1 ,when he resigned the throne4 ,still he maintained his kingly state1 ,and grew familiar with his fate4 ,kind1 good1 and gracious1 to the last1 ,on all he loved before his dying beams he cast3 ,oh truly good1 and truly great1 ,for glorious as he rose1 benignly so he set6 ,all that on earth he held most dear1 ,he recommended to his care1 ,to whom both heaven ,the right had given1 ,and his own love bequeathed supreme command3#eb ,he took and prest that ever-loyal hand1 ,which could1 in peace1 secure his reign2 ,which could1 in wars1 his power maintain2 ,that hand on which no plighted vows were ever vain4 ,well1 for so great a trust1 he chose ,a prince1 who never disobeyed2 ,not when the most severe commands were laid2 ,nor want1 nor exile1 with his duty weighed3#ec ,a prince on whom1 if heaven its eyes could close1 ,the welfare of the world it safely might repose4 ,,viii4 ,that king1 who lived to ,god's own heart1 ,yet less serenely died than he2 ,charles left behind no harsh decree1 ,for schoolmen1 with laborious art1 ,to save from cruelty3#ed ,those1 for whom love could no excuses frame1 ,he graciously forgot to name4 ,thus far my muse1 though rudely1 has designed ,some faint resemblance of his godlike mind2 ,but neither pen nor pencil can express ,the parting brothers tenderness2 ,though that's a term too mean and low2 ,the blest above a kinder word may know3 ,but what they did1 and what they said1 ,the monarch who triumphant went1 ,the militant who staid1 ,like painters1 when their heightening arts are spent1 ,i cast into a shade4 ,that all-forgiving king1 ,the type of him above1 ,that inexhausted spring ,of clemency and love1 ,himself to his next self accused1 ,and asked that pardon which he ne'er refused2 ,for faults not his1 for guilt and crimes ,of godless men1 and of rebellious times2 ,for an hard exile1 kindly meant1 ,when his ungrateful country sent ,their best ,camillus into banishment1 ,and forced their sovereign's act1 they could not his consent4 ,oh how much rather had that injured chief ,repeated all his sufferings past1 ,than hear a pardon begged at last1 ,which1 given1 could give the dying no relief6 ,he bent1 he sunk beneath his grief2 ,his dauntless heart would fain have held ,from weeping1 but his eyes rebelled4 ,perhaps the godlike hero1 in his breast1 ,disdained1 or was ashamed to show1 ,so weak1 so womanish a woe1 ,which yet the brother and the friend so plenteously confest4 ,,ix4 ,amidst that silent shower1 the royal mind ,an easy passage found1 ,and left its sacred earth behind2 ,nor murmuring groan expressed1 nor labouring sound1 ,nor any least tumultuous breath2 ,calm was his life1 and quiet was his death4 ,soft as those gentle whispers were1 ,in which the ,almighty did appear2 ,by the still voice the prophet knew him there4 ,that peace which made thy prosperous reign to shine1 ,that peace thou leav'st to thy imperial line1 ,that peace1 ,oh happy shade1 be ever thine6 ,x4 ,for all those joys thy restoration brought1 ,for all the miracles it wrought1 ,for all the healing balm thy mercy poured ,into the nation's bleeding wound1#ee ,and care1 that after kept it sound1 ,for numerous blessings yearly showered1 ,and property with plenty crowned2 ,for freedom1 still maintained alive1 ,freedom1 which in no other land will thrive1 ,freedom1 an ,english subject's sole prerogative1 ,without whose charms1 even peace would be ,but a dull quiet slavery2-- ,for these1 and more1 accept our pious praise2 ',tis all the subsidy ,the present age can raise1 ,the rest is charged on late posterity4 ,posterity is charged the more1 ,because the large abounding store ,to them1 and to their heirs1 is still entailed by thee4 ,succession of a long descent1 ,which chastely in the channels ran1 ,and from our demi-gods began1 ,equal almost to time in its extent1 ,through hazards numberless and great1 ,thou hast derived this mighty blessing down1 ,and fixed the fairest gem that decks the imperial crown3 ,not faction1 when it shook thy regal seat1 ,not senates1 insolently loud1 ,those echoes of a thoughtless crowd1 ,not foreign or domestic treachery1 ,could warp thy soul to their unjust decree4 ,so much thy foes thy manly mind mistook1 ,who judged it by the mildness of thy look2 ,like a well-tempered sword1 it bent at will1 ,but kept the native toughness of the steel4 ,,xi4 ,be true1 ,o ,clio1 to thy hero's name2 ,but draw him strictly so1 ,that all who view the piece may know1 ,he needs no trappings of fictitious fame4 ,the load's too weighty2 thou may'st chuse ,some parts of praise1 and some refuse2 ,write1 that his annals may be thought more lavish than the muse4 ,in scanty truth thou hast confined ,the virtues of a royal mind1 ,forgiving1 bounteous1 humble1 just1 and kind3 ,his conversation1 wit1 and parts1 ,his knowledge in the noblest useful arts1 ,were such1 dead authors could not give2 ,but habitudes of those who live1 ,who1 lighting him1 did greater lights receive3 ,he drained from all1 and all they knew2 ,his apprehension quick1 his judgment true1 ,that the most learned1 with shame1 confess ,his knowledge more1 his reading only less4 ,,xii4 ,amidst the peaceful triumphs of his reign1 ,what wonder1 if the kindly beams he shed ,revived the drooping arts again1 ,if science raised her head1 ,and soft humanity1 that from rebellion fled4 ,our isle1 indeed1 too fruitful was before2 ,but all uncultivated lay ,out of the solar walk1 and heaven's high way2#ef ,with rank ,geneva weeds run o'er1 ,and cockle1 at the best1 amidst the corn it bore3 ,the royal husbandman appeared1 ,and ploughed1 and sowed1 and tilled2 ,the thorns he rooted out1 the rubbish cleared1 ,and blest the obedient field ,when strait a double harvest rose1 ,such as the swarthy ,indian mows1 ,or happier climates near the ,line1 ,or paradise manured1 and drest by hands divine4 ,,xiii4 ,as when the new-born phoenix takes his way1 ,his rich paternal regions to survey1 ,of airy choristers a numerous train ,attend his wonderous progress o'er the plain2 ,so1 rising from his father's urn1 ,so glorious did our ,charles return2 ,the officious muses came along1 ,a gay harmonious quire1 like angels ever young2 ,the muse1 that mourns him now1 his happy triumph sung4#eg ,even they could thrive in his auspicious reign2 ,and such a plenteous crop they bore ,of purest and well-winnowed grain1 ,as ,britain never knew before4 ,though little was their hire1 and light their gain1 ,yet somewhat to their share he threw2 ,fed from his hand1 they sung and flew1 ,like birds of paradise1 that lived on morning dew4 ,oh never let their lays his name forget6 ,the pension of a prince's praise is great4 ,live then1 thou great encourager of arts1 ,live ever in our thankful hearts2 ,live blest above1 almost invoked below2 ,live and receive this pious vow1 ,our patron once1 our guardian angel now6 ,thou ,fabius of a sinking state1 ,who didst by wise delays divert our fate1 ,when faction like a tempest rose1 ,in death's most hideous form1 ,then art to rage thou didst oppose1 ,to weather out the storm2 ,not quitting thy supreme command1 ,thou heldst the rudder with a steady hand1 ,till safely on the shore the bark did land2 ,the bark1 that all our blessings brought1 ,charged with thyself and ,james1 a doubly-royal fraught4 ,,xiv4 ,oh frail estate of human things1 ,and slippery hopes below6 ,now to our cost your emptiness we know2 ,for 'tis a lesson dearly bought1 ,assurance here is never to be sought4 ,the best1 and best beloved of kings1 ,and best deserving to be so1 ,when scarce he had escaped the fatal blow ,of faction and conspiracy1 ,death did his promised hopes destroy2 ,he toiled1 he gained1 but lived not to enjoy4 ,what mists of ,providence are these ,through which we cannot see6 ,so saints1 by supernatural power set free1 ,are left at last in martyrdom to die2 ,such is the end of oft repeated miracles4-- ,forgive me1 heaven1 that impious thought1 ',twas grief for ,charles1 to madness wrought1 ,that questioned thy supreme decree6 ,thou didst his gracious reign prolong1 ,even in thy saints and angels wrong1 ,his fellow-citizens of immortality3 ,for twelve long years of exile born1 ,twice twelve we numbered since his blest return3 ,so strictly wer't thou just to pay1 ,even to the driblet of a day4#eh ,yet still we murmur1 and complain ,the quails and manna should no longer rain3 ,those miracles 'twas needless to renew2 ,the chosen flock has now the promised land in view4 ,,xv4 ,a warlike prince ascends the regal state1 ,a prince long exercised by fate3 ,long may he keep1 though he obtains it late6 ,heroes in heaven's peculiar mould are cast2 ,they1 and their poets1 are not formed in haste2 ,man was the first in ,god's design1 and man was made the last4 ,false heroes1 made by flattery so1 ,heaven can strike out1 like sparkles1 at a blow2 ,but ere a prince is to perfection brought1 ,he costs ,omnipotence a second thought4 ,with toil and sweat1 ,with hardening cold1 and forming heat1 ,the ,cyclops did their strokes repeat1 ,before the impenetrable shield was wrought4 ,it looks as if the ,maker would not own ,the noble work for his1 ,before 'twas tried and found a master-piece4 ,,xvi4 ,view then a monarch ripened for a throne4 ,alcides thus his race began1 ,o'er infancy he swiftly ran2 ,the future ,god at first was more than man3 ,dangers and toils1 and ,juno's hate1 ,even o'er his cradle lay in wait1 ,and there he grappled first with fate2 ,in his young hands the hissing snakes he prest1 ,so early was the ,deity confest2 ,thus1 by degrees1 he rose to ,jove's imperial seat2 ,thus difficulties prove a soul legitimately great4 ,like his1 our hero's infancy was tried2 ,betimes the furies did their snakes provide1 ,and to his infant arms oppose ,his father's rebels1 and his brother's foes2 ,the more opprest1 the higher still he rose4 ,those were the preludes of his fate1 ,that formed his manhood1 to subdue ,the hydra of the many-headed hissing crew4 ,,xvii4 ,as after ,numa's peaceful reign1 ,the martial ,ancus#ei did the sceptre wield1 ,furbished the rusty sword again1 ,resumed the long-forgotten shield1 ,and led the ,latins to the dusty field2 ,so ,james the drowsy genius wakes ,of ,britain long entranced in charms1 ,restiff and slumbering on its arms2 ',tis roused1 and1 with a new-strung nerve1 the spear already shakes4 ,no neighing of the warrior steeds1 ,no drum1 or louder trumpet1 needs ,to inspire the coward1 warm the cold2 ,his voice1 his sole appearance1 makes them bold1 ,gaul and ,batavia dread the impending blow2 ,too well the vigour of that arm they know2 ,they lick the dust1 and crouch beneath their fatal foe4 ,long may they fear this awful prince1 ,and not provoke his lingering sword2 ,peace is their only sure defence1 ,their best security his word4 ,in all the changes of his doubtful state1 ,his truth1 like heaven's1 was kept inviolate2 ,for him to promise is to make it fate4 ,his valour can triumph o'er land and main2 ,with broken oaths his fame he will not stain2 ,with conquest basely bought1 and with inglorious gain4 ,,xviii4 ,for once1 ,o heaven1 unfold thy adamantine book2 ,and let his wondering senate see1 ,if not thy firm immutable decree1 ,at least the second page of strong contingency1 ,such as consists with wills1 originally free4 ,let them with glad amazement look ,on what their happiness may be2 ,let them not still be obstinately blind1 ,still to divert the good thou hast designed1 ,or1 with malignant penury1 ,to starve the royal virtues of his mind4 ,faith is a ,christian's and a subject's test2 ,oh give them to believe1 and they are surely blest4 ,they do2 and with a distant view ,i see ,the amended vows of ,english loyalty2 ,and all beyond that object1 there appears ,the long retinue of a prosperous reign1 ,a series of successful years1 ,in orderly array1 a martial1 manly train4#fj ,behold e'en the remoter shores1 ,a conquering navy proudly spread2 ,the ,british cannon formidably roars1 ,while1 starting from his oozy bed1 ,the asserted ,ocean rears his reverend head1 ,to view and recognize his ancient lord again2 ,and1 with a willing hand1 restores ,the fasces of the main4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #dc3 ,note #a4 ,footnote #dd3 ,alluding to the fable of ,hercules supporting the heavenly sphere when ,atlas was fatigued4 ,footnote #de3 ,a very ill-timed sarcasm on those1 who petitioned ,charles to call his parliament4 ,see p4 #caa4 ,footnote #df3 #b ,kings1 chap4 xx4 ,footnote #dg3 ,note ,,ii4 ,footnote #dh3 ,note ,,iii4 ,footnote #di3 ,an eagre is a tide swelling above another tide1 which ,i have myself observed in the river ,trent4--,,dryden4 ,this species of combat between the current and the tide is well known on the ,severn2 and1 so far back as the days of ,william of ,malmesbury1 was called the ,higre4 ,unhappy is the vessel1 says that ancient historian1 on whom its force falls laterally4 ,de ,gestis ,pontificum1 ,lib4 ,,iv4--,drayton describes the same river1 ----,with whose tumultuous waves1 ,shut up in narrower bounds1 the ,higre wildly raves1 ,and frights the straggling flocks the neighbouring shores to fly4 ,afar as from the main it comes with hideous cry2 ,and on the angry front the curled foam doth bring1 ,the billows 'gainst the bank when fiercely it doth fling1 ,hurls up the scaly ooze1 and makes the scaly brood ,leap madding to the land affrighted from the flood2 ,o'erturns the toiling barch whose steersman does not launch1 ,and thrust the furrowing beak into her ravening paunch4 ,poly-,albion1 ,song ,,vii4 ,footnote #ej3 ,to engage upon liking1 7an image rather too familiar for the occasion17 is to take a temporary trial of a service1 or business1 with licence to quit it at pleasure4 ,footnote #ea3 ,note ,,iv4 ,footnote #eb3 ,note ,v4 ,footnote #ec3 ,alluding to the ,duke's banishment to ,flanders4 ,see note on ,absalom and ,achitophel1 ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #chd4 ,footnote #ed3 ,the testament of king ,david1 by which he bequeathed to his son the charge of executing vengeance on those enemies whom he had spared during his life1 has been much canvassed by divines4 ,i indulge myself in a tribute to a most venerable character1 when ,i state1 that the most ingenious discourses ,i ever heard from the pulpit1 were upon this and other parts of ,david's conduct1 in a series of lectures by the late ,reverend ,dr ,john ,erskine1 one of the ministers of the ,old ,greyfriars church in ,edinburgh4 ,footnote #ee3 ,king ,charles' first parliament1 from passing the ,act of ,indemnity1 and taking other measures to drown all angry recollection of the civil wars1 was called the ,healing ,parliament4 ,footnote #ef3 ,a similar line occurs in the ,annus ,mirabilis1 ,st4 #afj3 ,beyond the year1 and out of heaven's high-way4 ,the expression is originally ,virgil's3 ,extra anni1 solisque vias4 ,footnote #eg3 ,see the ,astra ,redux4 ,note ,,vi4 ,footnote #eh3 ,reckoning from the death of his father1 ,charles had reigned thirty-six years and eight days2 and1 counting from his restoration1 twenty-four years1 eight months1 and nine days4 ,footnote #ei3 ,ancus ,martius1 who succeeded the peaceful ,numa ,pompilius as king of ,rome4 ,footnote #fj3 ,note ,,vii4 ,,notes ,,on ,,threnodia ,,augustalis4 ,note ,i4 ,an unexpected burst of woes4--,p4 #fb4 ,charles ,,ii4 enjoyed excellent health1 and was particularly careful to preserve it by constant exercise4 ,his danger1 therefore1 fell like a thunder-bolt on his people1 whose hearts were gained by his easy manners and good humour1 and who considered1 that the worst apprehensions they had ever entertained during his reign1 arose from the religion and disposition of his successor4 ,the mingled passions of affection and fear produced a wonderful sensation on the nation4 ,the people were so passionately concerned1 that ,north says1 and appeals to all who recollected the time for the truth of his averment1 that it was rare to see a person walking the street with dry eyes4 ,examen4 p4 #fdg4 ,note ,,ii4 ,the second causes took the swift command1 ,the medicinal head1 the ready hand1 ,all eager to perform their part4--,p4 #fd4 ,if there is safety in the multitude of counsellors1 ,charles did not find it in the multitude of physicians4 ,nine were in attendance1 all men of eminence2 the presence of the least of whom1 ,le ,sage would have said1 was fully adequate to account for the subsequent catastrophe4 ,they were ,sir ,thomas ,millington1 ,sir ,thomas ,witherby1 ,sir ,charles ,scarborough1 ,sir ,edmund ,king1 ,doctors ,berwick1 ,charlton1 ,lower1 ,short1 and ,le ,fevre4 ,they signed a declaration1 that the king had died of an apoplexy4 ,note ,,iii4 ,the joyful short-lived news soon spread around4--,p4 #fe4 ,an article was published in the ,gazette1 on the third day of the king's illness1 importing1 ,that his physicians now conceived him to be in a state of safety1 and that in a few days he would be freed from his indisposition4#fa ,north tells us1 however1 on the authority of his brother1 the ,lord ,keeper1 that the only hope which the physicians afforded to the council1 was an assurance1 7joyfully communicated17 that the king was ill of a violent fever4 ,the council seeing little consolation in these tidings1 one of the medical gentlemen explained1 by saying1 that they now knew what they had to do1 which was to administer the cortex4 ,this was done while life lasted1#fb although some of the physicians seem to have deemed the prescription improper2 in which case1 ,charles1 after escaping the poniards and pistols of the ,jesuits1 may be said to have fallen a victim to their bark4 ,note ,,iv4 ,and he who most performed1 and promised less1 ,even ,short himself1 forsook the unequal strife4--,p4 #fg4 ,dr ,thomas ,short1 an eminent physician1 who came into the court practice when ,dr ,richard ,lower1 who formerly enjoyed it1 embraced the political principles of the ,whig party4 ,short1 a ,roman ,catholic1 and himself a ,tory1 was particularly acceptable to the ,tories4 ,to this circumstance he probably owes the compliment paid him by our author1 and another from ,lord ,mulgrave to the same purpose4 ,otway reckons1 among his selected friends1 ,short1 beyond what numbers can commend4#fc ,duke has also inscribed to him his translation of the eleventh ,idyllium of ,theocritus2 beginning1 ,o ,short6 no herb nor salve was ever found1 ,to ease a lover's heat1 or heal his wound4 ,dr ,short1 as one of the king's physicians1 attended the death-bed of ,charles1 and subscribed the attestation1 that he died of an apoplexy4 ,yet there has been ascribed to him an expression of dubious import1 which caused much disquisition at the time2 namely1 that the king had not fair play for his life4 ,burnet says plainly1 that ,short suspected poison1 and talked more freely of it than any ,protestant durst venture to do at the time4 ,he1 adds1 that ,short himself was taken suddenly ill1 upon taking a large draught of wormwood wine1 in the house of a ,popish patient near the ,tower2 and while on his death-bed1 he told ,lower1 and ,millington1 and other physicians1 that he believed he himself was poisoned1 for having spoken too freely of the king's death4#fd ,mulgrave states the same report in these words1 which1 coming from a professed ,tory1 are entitled to the greater credit3 ,i am obliged to observe1 that the most knowing and most deserving of all his physicians did not only believe him poisoned1 but thought himself so too1 not long after1 for having declared his opinion a little too boldly4#fe ,north1 in confutation of this report1 has interpreted ,short's expression1 as meaning nothing more than that the king's malady was mistaken by his physicians1 who1 by their improper prescriptions1 deprived nature of fair play2#ff and he appeals to all the eminent physicians who attended ,dr ,short in his last illness1 whether he did not fall a victim to his own bold method1 in using the cortex4 ,upon the whole1 whatever opinion this individual physician may have adopted through mistake1 or affectation of singularity1 and whatever credit faction1 or indeed popular prejudice in general1 may have given to such rumours at the time1 there appears no solid reason to believe that ,charles died of poison4 ,both ,burnet and ,mulgrave say1 that they never heard a hint that his brother was accessary to such a crime2 and it is very unlikely that any zealous ,catholic should have had either opportunity1 or inclination1 to hasten the reign of a prince of that religion1 by the unsolicited service of poisoning his brother4 ,the other physicians1 several of whom1 ,lower1 for example1 were ,whigs1 as well as ,protestants1 gave no countenance to this rumour1 which was circulated by a ,catholic4 ,and1 as the symptoms of the king's disorder are decidedly apoplectic1 the report may be added to those with which history abounds1 and which are raised and believed only because an extraordinary end is thought most fit for the eminent and powerful4 ,short1 as we have incidentally noticed1 survived his royal patient but a few months4 ,he was succeeded in his practice by ,ratcliffe1 the famous ,tory physician of ,queen ,anne's reign4 ,note ,v4 ,all that on earth he held most dear1 ,he recommended to his care1 ,to whom both heaven ,the right had given1 ,and his own love bequeathed supreme command4--,p4 #fi4 ,the historical accounts of the dying requests of ,charles are contradictory and obscure4 ,it seems certain1 that he earnestly recommended his favourite mistress1 the ,duchess of ,portsmouth1 to the protection of his successor4 ,he had always1 he said1 loved her1 and he now loved her at the last4 ,the ,bishop of ,bath presented to him his natural son1 the ,duke of ,richmond2 whom he blessed1 and recommended1 with his other children1 to his successor's protection2 adding1 ,do not let poor ,nelly#fg starve4 ,he seems to have said nothing of the ,duke of ,monmouth1 once so much beloved1 and whom1 shortly before1 he entertained thoughts of recalling from banishment1 and replacing in favour2 perhaps he thought1 any recommendation to ,james of a rival so hated would be ineffectual4 ,burnet says1 he spoke not a word of the queen4 ,echard1 on the contrary1 affirms1 that1 at the exhortation of the ,bishop of ,bath1 ,charles sent for the queen1 and asked and received her pardon for the injuries he had done her bed4#fh ,in ,fountainhall's ,manuscript1 the queen is said to have sent a message1 requesting his pardon if she had ever offended him3 ,alas1 poor lady6 replied the dying monarch1 she never offended me2 ,i have too often injured her4#fi ,this account seems more probable than that of ,echard2 for so public a circumstance1 as a personal visit from the queen to her husband's death-bed1 could hardly have been disputed by contemporaries4 ,note ,,vi4 ,the officious muses came along1 ,a gay harmonious quire1 like angels ever young2 ,the muse1 that mourns him now1 his happy triumph sung4--,p4 #gd4 ,in ,dryden's ,life1 we had occasion to remark the effect of the ,restoration upon literature4 ,it was not certainly its least important benefit1 that it opened our poet's own way to distinction2 which is thus celebrated by ,baber3 ----till blest years brought ,csar home again1 ,dryden to purpose never drew his pen4 ,he1 happy favourite of the tuneful nine6 ,came with an early offering to your shrine2 ,embalmed in deathless verse the monarch's fame2 ,verse1 which shall keep it fresh in youthful prime1 ,when ,rustal's sacred gift must yield to time4 ,note ,,vii4 ,faith is a ,christian's and a subject's test4--,p4 #gh4 ,james1 as well as his poet1 was not slack in intimating to his subjects1 that he expected them to possess a proper portion of this saving virtue4 ,and1 that they might not want an opportunity of exercising it1 he was pleased1 by his own royal proclamation1 to continue the payment of the duties of the custom-house1 which had been granted by parliament only during his brother's life4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #fa3 ,,ralph1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #hcd4 ,footnote #fb3 ,life of ,lord ,keeper ,guilford1 p4 #bec4 ,footnote #fc3 ,epistle to ,mr ,duke4 ,footnote #fd3 ,burnet's ,history of his own ,times4 ,end of ,book ,,iii4 ,footnote #fe3 ,character of ,charles ,,ii41 ,sheffield ,duke of ,buckingham's ,works1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #fe4 ,footnote #ff3 ,one ,dr ,stokeham is said to have alleged1 that the king's fit was epileptic1 not apoplectic1 and that bleeding was ex diametro wrong4 ,footnote #fg3 ,nell ,gwyn4 ,footnote #fh3 ,echard's ,history1 p4 #ajdf4 ,footnote #fi3 ,dalrymple's ,memoirs1 #hvo4 vol4 i4 p4 #ff4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther1 ,a ,,poem4 ,,in ,,three ,,parts4 ----,antiquam exquirite matrem---- ----,et vera incessu patuit ,dea4 ,,virg4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,in the ,life of ,dryden1 there is an attempt to trace the progress and changes of those religious opinions1 by which he was unfortunately conducted into the errors of ,popery4 ,with all the zeal of a now convert1 he seems to have been impatient to invite others to follow his example1 by detailing1 in poetry1 the arguments which had appeared to him unanswerable4 ,the ,hind and the ,panther is the offspring of that rage for proselytism1 which is a peculiar attribute of his new mother church4 ,the author is anxious1 in the preface1 to represent this poem as a task which he had voluntarily undertaken1 without receiving even the subject from any one4 ,his assertion seems worthy of full credit2 for1 although it was the most earnest desire of ,james ,,ii4 to employ every possible mode for the conversion of his subjects1 there is room to believe1 that1 if the poem had been written under his direction1 the tone adopted by ,dryden towards the sectaries would have been much more mild4 ,it is a well-known point of history1 that1 in order to procure as many friends as possible to the repeal of the test act and penal laws against the ,catholics1 ,james extended indulgence to the puritans and sectarian non-conformists1 the ancient enemies of his person1 his family1 and monarchical establishments in general4 ,dryden obviously was not in this court secret2 the purpose of which was to unite those congregations1 whom he has described under the parable of bloody bears1 boars1 wolves1 foxes1 c4 in a common interest with the ,hind1 against the exclusive privileges of the ,panther and her subjects4 ,his work was written with the precisely opposite intention of recommending an union between the ,catholics and the church of ,england2 at least1 of persuading the latter to throw down the barriers1 by which the former were kept out of state employments4 ,such an union had at one time been deemed practicable2 and1 in #afhe1 pamphlets had been published1 seriously exhorting the church of ,england to a league with the ,catholics1 in order to root out the sectaries as common enemies to both4 ,the steady adherence of the church of ,england to ,protestant principles1 rendered all hopes of such an union abortive2 and1 while ,dryden was composing his poem upon this deserted plan1 ,james was taking different steps to accomplish the main purpose both of the poet and monarch4 ,the power of the crown to dispense1 at pleasure1 with the established laws of the kingdom1 had been often asserted1 and sometimes exercised1 by former ,english monarchs4 ,a king was entitled1 the favourers of prerogative argued1 to pardon the breach of a statute1 when committed2 why not1 therefore1 to suspend its effect by a dispensation a priori1 or by a general suspension of the law8 which was only doing in general1 what he was confessedly empowered to do in particular cases4 ,but a doctrine so pernicious to liberty was never allowed to take root in the constitution2 and the confounding the prerogative of extending mercy to individual criminals1 with that of annulling the laws under which they had been condemned1 was a fallacy easily detected and refuted4 ,charles ,,ii4 twice attempted to assert his supposed privilege of suspending the penal laws1 by granting a general toleration2 and he had1 in both cases1 been obliged to retract1 by the remonstrances of ,parliament4#gj ,but his successor1 who conceived that his power was situated on a more firm basis1 and who was naturally obstinate in his resolutions1 was not swayed by this recollection4 ,he took every opportunity to exercise the power of dispensing with the laws1 requiring ,catholics to take the test agreeable to act of ,parliament4 ,he asserted his right to do so in his speech to the ,parliament1 on #ith ,november1 #afhe2 he despised the remonstrances of both ,houses1 upon so flagrant and open a violation of the law2 and he endeavoured1 by a packed bench1 and a feigned action at law1 to extort a judicial ratification of his dispensing power4 ,at length1 not contented with granting dispensations to individuals1 the king resolved at once to suspend the operation of all penal statutes1 which required conformity with the church of ,england1 as well as of the test act4 ,on the #dth of ,april1 #afhg1 came forth the memorable ,declaration of ,indulgence1 in favour of all non-conformists of whatever persuasion2 by which they were not only protected in the full exercise of their various forms of religion1 but might1 without conformity1 be admitted to all offices in the state4 ,with what consequences this act of absolute power was attended1 the history of the ,revolution makes us fully acquainted2 for it is surely unnecessary to add1 that the indulgence occasioned the petition and trial of the bishops1 the most important incident in that momentous period4 ,about a fortnight after the publishing of this declaration of indulgence1 our author's poem made its appearance2 being licensed on the #aath ,april1 #afhg1 and published a few days after4 ,if it was undertaken without the knowledge of the court1 it was calculated1 on its appearance1 to secure the royal countenance and approbation4 ,accordingly1 as soon as it was published in ,england1 a second edition was thrown off at a printing office in ,holyroodhouse1 ,edinburgh1 then maintained for the express purpose of disseminating such treatises as were best calculated to serve the ,catholic cause4#ga ,if the ,protestant dissenters ever cast their eyes upon profane poetry1 ,the ,hind and the ,panther must have appeared to them a perilous commentary on the king's declaration2 since it shows clearly1 that the ,catholic interest alone was what the ,catholic king and poet had at heart1 and that1 however the former might now find himself obliged to court their favour1 to strengthen his party against the established church1 the deep remembrance of ancient feuds and injuries was still cherished1 and the desire of vengeance on the fanatics neither sated nor subdued4 ,in composing this poem1 it may be naturally presumed1 that ,dryden exerted his full powers4 ,he was to justify1 in the eyes of the world1 a step which is always suspicious2 and1 by placing before the public the arguments by which he had been induced to change his religion1 he was at once to exculpate himself1 and induce others to follow his example4 ,he chose1 for the mode of conveying this instruction1 that parabolical form of writing1 which took its rise perhaps in the ,east1 or rather which1 in a greater or less degree1 is common to all nations4 ,an old author observes1 that there is no species of four-footed beasts1 of birds1 of fish1 of insects1 reptiles1 or any other living things1 whose nature is not found in man4 ,how exactly agreeable to the fox are some men's tempers2 whilst others are profest bears in human shape4 ,here you shall meet a crocodile1 who seeks1 with feigned tears1 to entrap you to your ruin2 there a serpent creeps1 and winds himself into your affections1 till1 on a sudden1 when warmed with favours1 he will bite and sting you to death4 ,tygers1 lions1 leopards1 panthers1 wolves1 and all the monstrous generations of ,africa1 may be seen masquerading in the forms of men2 and 'tis not hard for an observing mind to see their natural complexions through the borrowed vizard4#gb ,dryden conceived the idea1 of extending to religious communities the supposed resemblance between man and the lower animals4 ,under the name of a milk-white ,hind1 immortal and unchanged1 he described the unity1 simplicity1 and innocence of the church1 to which he had become a convert2 and under that of a ,panther1 fierce and inexorable towards those of a different persuasion1 he bodied forth the church of ,england1 obstinate in defending its pale from encroachment1 by the penal statutes and the test act4#gc ,there wanted not critics to tell him1 that he had mistaken the character of either communion4#gd ,the inferior sects are described under the emblem of various animals1 fierce and disgusting in proportion to their more remote affinity to the church of ,rome4 ,and in a dialogue between the two principal characters1 the leading arguments of the controversy between the churches1 at least what the poet chose to consider as such1 are formally discussed4 ,but ,dryden's plan is far from coming within the limits of a fable or parable1 strictly so called2 for it is strongly objected1 that the poet has been unable to avoid confounding the real churches themselves with the ,hind and the ,panther1 under which they are represented4 ,the hind1 as ,johnson observes1 at one time is afraid to drink at the common brook1 because she may be worried2 but1 walking home with the panther1 talks by the way of the ,nicene fathers1 and at last declares herself to be the ,catholic church4 ,and the same critic complains1 that the king is now ,csar1 and now the lion1 and that the name ,pan is given to the ,supreme ,being4 ,the ,hind and ,panther transversed1 or the ,city and ,country ,mouse1 which was written in ridicule of this poem1 turns chiefly upon the incongruity of the emblems adopted by ,dryden1 and the inconsistencies into which his plan had led him4#ge ,this ridicule1 and the criticism on which it is founded1 seems1 however1 to be carried a little too far4 ,if a fable1 or parable1 is to be entirely and exclusively limited to a detail which may suit the common actions and properties of the animals1 or things introduced in it1 we strike out from the class some which have always been held the most beautiful examples of that style of fiction4 ,it is surely as easy to conceive a ,hind and ,panther discussing points of religion1 as that the trees of the forest should assemble together to chuse a king1 invite different trees to accept of that dignity1 and1 finally1 make choice of a bramble4 ,yet no one ever hesitates to pronounce ,jotham's ,parable of the ,trees one of the finest which ever was written4 ,or what shall we say of one of the most common among sop's apologues1 which informs us in the outset1 that the lion1 the ox1 the sheep1 and the ass1 went a hunting together1 on condition of dividing equally whatever should be caught8 ,yet this and many other fables1 in which the animals introduced act altogether contrary to their nature1 are permitted to rank without censure in the class which they assume4 ,nay1 it may be questioned whether the most proper fables are not those in which the animals are introduced as acting upon the principles of mankind4 ,for instance1 if an author be compared to a daw1 it is no fable1 but a simile2 but if a tale be told of a daw who dressed himself in borrowed feathers1 a thing naturally impossible1 the simile becomes a proper fable4 ,perhaps1 therefore1 it is sufficient for the fabulist1 if he can point out certain original and leading features of resemblance betwixt his emblems1 and that which they are intended to represent1 and he may be permitted to take considerable latitude in their farther approximation4 ,it may be farther urged in ,dryden's behalf1 that the older poets whom he professed to imitate1 ,spenser1 for example1 in ,mother ,hubbart's ,tale1 which he has actually quoted1 and ,chaucer1 in that of the ,nun's ,priest's tale have stepped beyond the simplicity of the ancient fable1 and introduced a species of mixed composition1 between that and downright satire4 ,the names and characters of beasts are only assumed in ,mother ,hubbart's ,tale1 that the satirist might1 under that slight cloak1 say with safety what he durst not otherwise have ventured upon2 and in the tale of ,chaucer1 the learned dialogue about dreams is only put into the mouths of a cock and hen1 to render the ridicule of such disquisitions more poignant4 ,had ,spenser been asked1 why he described the court of the lion as exactly similar to that of a human prince1 and introduced the fox as composing madrigals for the courtiers8 he would have bidden the querist1 ----,yield his sense was all too blunt and base1 ,that n'ote without a hound fine footing trace4 ,and if the question had been put to the bard of ,woodstock1 why1 he made his cock an astrologer1 and his hen a physician1 he would have answered1 that his satire might become more ludicrous1 by putting these grave speeches into the mouths of such animals4 ,dryden seems to have proposed as his model this looser kind of parable2 giving his personages1 indeed1 the names of the ,hind and ,panther1 but reserving to himself the privilege of making the supposed animals use the language and arguments of the communities they were intended to represent4 ,i must own1 however1 that this licence appears less pardonable in the ,first ,part1 where he professes to use the majestic turn of heroic poetry1 than in those which are dedicated to argument and satire4 ,dryden has1 in this very poem1 given us two examples of the more pure and correct species of fable4 ,these1 which he terms in the preface ,episodes1 are the tale of the ,swallows seduced to defer their emigration1 and that of the ,pigeons1 who chose a ,buzzard for their king4#gh ,it is remarkable1 that1 as the former is by much the most complete story1 so1 although put in the mouth of a representative of the heretical church1 it proved eventually to contain a truth sorrowful to our author1 and those of the ,roman ,catholic persuasion3 ,for1 while the ,buzzard's elevation 7,bishop ,burnet by name7 was not attended with any peculiar evil consequences to the church of ,england1 the short gleam of ,popish prosperity was soon overcast1 and the priests and their proselytes plunged in reality into all the distress of the swallows in the ,panther's fable4 ,in conformity to our author's plan1 announced in the preface1 the fable is divided into ,three ,parts4 ,the ,first is dedicated to the general description and character of the religious sects1 particularly the churches of ,rome and of ,england4 ,and here ,dryden has used the more elevated strain of heroic poetry4 ,in the ,second1 the general arguments of the controversy between the two churches are agitated1 for which purpose a less magnificent style of language is adopted4 ,in the ,third and last ,part1 from discussing the disputed points of theology1 the ,hind and ,panther descend to consider the particulars in which their temporal interests were judged at this period to interfere with each other4 ,and here ,dryden has lowered the tone of his verse to that of common conversation4 ,we must admit1 with ,johnson1 that these distinctions of style are not always accurately adhered to4 ,the ,first ,part has familiar lines2 as1 for instance1 the four with which it concludes3 ,considering her a civil well-bred beast1 ,and more a gentlewoman than the rest1 ,after some common talk1 what rumours ran1 ,the lady of the spotted muff began4 ,some passages are not only mean in expression1 but border on profaneness2 as1 ,the smith divine1 as with a careless beat1 ,struck out the mute creation at a heat2 ,but when at last arrived to human race1 ,the ,godhead took a deep considering space4 ,on the other hand1 the ,third ,part has passages in a higher tone of poetry2 particularly the whole character of ,james in the fable of the ,pigeons and the ,buzzard3 but it is enough to fulfil the author's promise in the preface1 that the parts do each in general preserve a peculiar character and style1 though occasionally sliding into that of the others4 ,it is a main defect of the plan just detailed1 that it necessarily limited the interest of the poem to that crisis of politics when it was published4 ,a work1 which the author announces as calculated to attract the favour of friends1 and to animate the malevolence of enemies1 is now read with cold indifference4 ,he launched forth into a tide of controversy1 which1 however furious at the time1 has long subsided1 leaving his poem a disregarded wreck1 stranded upon the shores which the surges once occupied4 ,setting aside this original defect1 the ,first and ,last ,parts of the poem1 in particular1 abound with passages of excellent poetry4 ,in the former1 it is worthy attention1 with what ease and command of his language and subject ,dryden passes from his sublime description of the immortal ,hind1 to brand and stigmatise the sectaries by whom she was hated and persecuted2 a rare union of dignity preserved in satire1 and of satire engrafted upon heroic poetry4 ,the reader cannot1 at the same time1 fail to observe the felicity with which the poet has assigned prototypes to the dissenting churches1 agreeing in character with that which he meant to fix upon their several congregations4 ,the ,bear1 unlicked to forms1 is the emblem of the ,independents1 who disclaimed them2#gi the ,wolf1 which hunts in herds1 to the classes and synods of the ,presbyterian church2 the ,hare1 to the peaceful ,quakers2 the wild ,boar1 to the fierce and savage ,anabaptists1 who ravaged ,germany1 the native country of that animal4 ,with similar felicity1 the bird1 who warned ,st ,peter of his fall1 is1 from that circumstance1 and his nocturnal vigils1 afterwards assigned as the representative of the ,catholic clergy4 ,above all1 the attention is arrested by the pointed description of those dark and sullen enthusiasts1 who1 scarcely agreeing among themselves upon any peculiar points of doctrine1 rested their claim to superior sanctity upon abominating and contemning those usual forms of reverence1 by which men1 in all countries since the beginning of the world1 have agreed to distinguish public worship from ordinary or temporal employments4 ,the whole of this ,first ,part of the poem abounds with excellent poetry1 rising above the tone of ordinary satire1 and yet possessing all its poignancy4 ,the difference1 to those against whom it is directed1 is like that of being blasted by a thunder-bolt1 instead of being branded with a red-hot iron4 ,the ,first ,part of ,the ,hind and ,panther1 although chiefly dedicated to general characters1 contains some reasoning on the grand controversy1 similar to that which occupies the ,second4 ,the author displays1 with the utmost art and energy of argumentative poetry1 the reasons by which he was himself guided in adopting the ,roman ,catholic faith4 ,he is led into this discussion1 by mentioning the heretical doctrine of the ,unitarians2 and insists1 that the ,protestant churches1 which have consented to postpone human reason to faith1 by acquiescing in the orthodox doctrine of the ,trinity1 are not entitled to appeal to the authority which they have waived1 for arguments against the mystery of the real presence in the eucharist4 ,this was a favourite mode of reasoning of the ,catholics at the time1 as may be seen from the numerous treatises which they sent forth upon the controversy4 ,it is undoubtedly very fit to impose on the vulgar1 but completely overshoots the mark at which it aims4 ,for1 if our yielding humble belief to one abstruse doctrine of divinity be sufficient to debar the exercise of our reason respecting another1 it is obvious1 that1 by the same reason1 the appeal to our understanding must be altogether laid aside in matters of doubtful orthodoxy4 ,the ,protestant divines1 therefore1 took a distinction2 and1 while they admitted they were obliged to surrender their human judgment in matters of divine revelation which were above their reason1 they asserted the power of appealing to its guidance in those things of a finite nature which depend on the evidence of sense1 and the consequent privileges of rejecting any doctrine1 which1 being within the sphere of human comprehension1 is nevertheless repugnant to the understanding3 therefore1 while they received the doctrine of the ,trinity as an infinite mystery1 far above their reason1 they contended against that of transubstantiation as capable of being tried by human faculties1 and as contradicted by an appeal to them4 ,in a subsequent passage1 the author taxes the church of ,england with an attempt to reconcile contradictions1 by admitting the real presence in the eucharist1 and yet denying actual transubstantiation4 ,dryden boldly appeals to the positive words of scripture1 and sums his doctrine thus3 ,the literal sense is hard to flesh and blood1 ,but nonsense never can be understood4 ,granting1 however1 the obscurity or mystery of the one doctrine1 it is a hard choice to be obliged to adopt1 in its room1 that which asserts an acknowledged impossibility4 ,in the ,second ,part1 another point of the controversy is agitated2 the infallibility1 namely1 which is claimed by the ,roman church4 ,the author appears here to have hampered himself in the toils of his own argument in a former poem4 ,he had asserted in the ,religio ,laici1 that the ,scriptures contained all things necessary for salvation2 while he yet admitted1 that those1 whose bent inclined them to the study of polemical divinity1 were to be guided by the expositions of the fathers1 and the earlier1 especially the written1 traditions of the ,church4 ,there is1 as has been noticed in the remarks on ,religio ,laici1 a certain vacillation in our author's arguments concerning tradition1 while yet a ,protestant1 which prepares us for his finally reposing his doubts in the bosom of that church1 which pretends to be the sole depositary of the earlier doctrines of ,christianity1 and claims a right to ascertain all doubts in point of faith1 by the same mode1 and with the same unerring certainty1 as the original church in the days of the apostles and fathers4 ,these doubts1 with which ,dryden seems to have been deeply impressed while within the pale of the ,church of ,england1 he now objects to her as inconsistencies1 and accuses her of having recourse to tradition1 or discarding it1 as suited the argument which1 for the time1 she had in agitation4 ,it is unnecessary here to trace the various grounds on which reformed churches prove1 that the chain of apostolical tradition has been broken and shivered2 and that the church1 claiming the proud title of ,infallible1 has repeatedly sanctioned heresy and error4 ,neither is it necessary to shew1 how the ,church of ,england stops short in her reception of traditions1 adopting only those of the primitive church4 ,something on these points may be found in the notes4 ,i may remark1 that ,dryden is of the ,gallican or low ,church of ,rome1 if ,i may so speak1 and rests the infallibility which he claims for her in the ,pope and ,council of the ,church1 and not in the ,vicar of ,christ alone4 ,in point of literary interest1 this ,second ,part is certainly beneath the other two4 ,it furnishes1 however1 an excellent specimen of poetical ratiocination upon a most unpromising subject4 ,the ,third ,part refers entirely to the politics of the day2 and the poet has endeavoured1 by a number of arguments1 to remove the deep jealousy and apprehensions which the king's religion1 and his zeal for proselytism1 had awakened in the ,church of ,england4 ,he does not even spare to allege a recent adoption of presbyterian doctrines1 as the reason for her unwonted resistance to the royal will2 and all the vigour of his satire is pointed against the latitudinarian clergy1 or1 as they were finally called1 the ,low ,church ,party1 who now began to assert1 what ,james at length found a melancholy truth1 that the doctrine of passive obedience and non-resistance was not peremptorily binding1 when the church herself was endangered by the measures of the monarch4 ,stillingfleet1 the personal antagonist of our author1 in the controversy concerning the ,duchess of ,york's posthumous declaration of faith1 is personally and ferociously attacked4 ,the poem concludes with a fable delivered by each of the disputants1 of which the moral applies to the project and hopes of her rival4 ,we have already said1 that which is told by the ,panther1 as it is most spirited and pointed1 proved1 to the great regret of the author1 most strictly prophetic4 ,it is remarkable for containing a beautiful character of ,king ,james1 as the other exhibits a satirical portrait of the historian ,burnet1 with whom the court party in general1 and ,dryden personally1 was then at enmity4 ,the verse in which these doctrines1 polemical and political1 are delivered1 is among the finest specimens of the ,english heroic stanza4 ,the introductory verses1 in particular1 are lofty and dignified in the highest degree2 as are those1 in which the splendour and majesty of the ,church of ,rome are set forth1 in all the glowing colours of rich imagery and magnificent language4 ,but the same praise extends to the versification of the whole poem4 ,it never falls1 never becomes rugged2 rises with the dignified strain of the poetry2 sinks into quaint familiarity1 where sarcasm and humour are employed2 and winds through all the mazes of theological argument1 without becoming either obscure or prosaic4 ,the arguments are in general advanced with an air of conviction and candour1 which1 in those days1 must have required the protestant reader to be on his guard in the perusal1 and which seems completely to ascertain the sincerity of the author in his new religious creed4 ,this controversial poem1 containing a bold defiance to all who opposed the king's measures or faith1 had no sooner appeared1 than our author became a more general object of attack than he had been even on the publication of ,absalom and ,achitophel4 ,indeed1 his enemies were now far more numerous1 including most of his former friends1 the ,tories of the high church1 excepting a very few who remained attached to ,james1 and saw1 with anxiety1 his destruction precipitated by the measures he was adopting4 ,montague and ,prior were among the first to assail our author1 in the parody1 of which we have just given a large specimen4 ,it must have been published before the #bdth ,october #afhg1 for it is referred to in ,the ,laureat1 another libel against ,dryden1 inscribed by ,mr ,luttrel with that date4 ,this assault affected him the more1 as coming from persons with whom he had lived on habits of civility4 ,he is even said to have shed tears upon this occasion2 a report probably exaggerated1 but which serves to shew1 that he was sensible he had exposed himself to the most unexpected assailants1 by the unpopularity of the cause which he had espoused4 ,some further particulars respecting this controversy are mentioned in ,dryden's ,life4 ,another poet1 or parodier1 published ,the ,revolter1 a tragi-comedy1 in which he brings the doctrines of the ,religio ,laici1 and of the ,hind and ,panther1 in battle array against each other1 and rails at the author of both with the most unbounded scurrility4#hj ,not only new enemies arose against him1 but the hostility of former and deceased foes seemed to experience a sort of resurrection4 ,four ,letters1 by ,matthew ,clifford of the ,charter-,house1 containing notes upon ,dryden's poems and plays1 were now either published for the first time1 or raked up from the obscurity of a dead-born edition1 to fill up the cry of criticism against him on all sides4 ,they are coarse and virulent to the last degree1 and so far served the purpose of the publishers2 but1 as they had no reference to ,the ,hind and ,panther1 that defect was removed by a supplementary ,letter from the facetious ,tom ,brown1 an author1 whose sole wish was to attain the reputation of a successful buffoon1 and who1 like the jesters of old1 having once made himself thoroughly absurd and ridiculous1 gained a sort of privilege to make others feel his grotesque raillery4#ha ,besides the reflections contained in this letter1 ,brown also published ,the ,new ,converts exposed1 or ,reasons for ,mr ,bayes changing his ,religion1 in two parts2 the first of which appeared in #afhh1 and the second in #afij4 ,from a passage in the preface to the first part1 which may serve as a sample of ,tom's buffoonery1 we learn1 ,dryden publicly complained1 that1 although he had put his name to ,the ,hind and ,panther1 those who criticized or replied to that poem had not imitated his example4#hb ,another of these witty varlets published1 in #afhh1 ,religio ,laici1 or a ,layman's ,faith1 touching the ,supreme ,head and ,infallible ,guide of the ,church1 in two letters1 c4 by ,j4 ,r4 a convert of ,mr ,bayes1 licensed ,june the #ast1 #afhh4 ,from this pamphlet we have given some extracts in the introductory remarks to ,religio ,laici1 pp4 #i1 #aj4 ,there were1 besides1 many libels of the most personal kind poured forth against ,dryden by the poets who supplied the usual demand of the hawkers4 ,one of the most virulent contains a singular exhibition of rage and impotence4 ,it professes to contain a review of our poet's life and literary labours1 and calls itself ,the ,laureat4 ,this1 as containing some curious particulars1 is given below4#hc ,the cry against our author being thus general1 we may reasonably suppose1 that he would have taken some opportunity to exercise his powers of retort upon those who were most active or most considerable among the aggressors1 and that ,montague and ,prior stood a fair chance of being coupled up with ,doeg and ,og1 his former antagonists4 ,but1 if ,dryden entertained any intention of retaliation1 the ,revolution1 which crushed his rising prospects1 took away both the opportunity and inclination4 ,from that period1 the fame of ,the ,hind and ,panther gradually diminished1 as the controversy between ,protestant and ,papist gave way to that between ,whig and ,tory4 ,within a few years after the first publication of the poem1 ,swift ranks it among the compositions of ,grubstreet2 ironically terms it1 the master-piece of a famous author1 now living1 intended as a complete abstract of sixteen thousand schoolmen1 from ,scotus to ,bellarmine2 and immediately subjoins1 ,tommy ,potts1 supposed by the same hand1 by way of ,supplement to the former4#hd ,with such acrimony do men of genius treat the productions of each other2 and so certain it is1 that1 to enjoy permanent reputation1 an author must chuse a theme of permanent interest4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #gj3 ,in the years #affb and #afgd4 ,see ,vol4 ,,ix1 p4 #ddh4 ,footnote #ga3 ,our author was not the only poet who hailed this dawn of toleration2 for there is in ,luttrell's ,collection1 ,a ,congratulatory ,poem1 dedicated to his ,majesty1 on the late gracious ,declaration 7#ith ,june1 #afhg72 by a ,person of ,quality4 ,footnote #gb3 ,turkish ,spy1 ,vol4 viii4 p4 #ai4 ,footnote #gc3 ,perhaps the poet recollected the attributes ascribed to the panther by one of the fathers3 ,panther1 ut ,divus ,basilius ait1 cum immani sint ac crudeli odio in homines a natura incens1 in hominum simulacra furibund irruunt1 nec aliter hominum effigiem1 quam homines ipsos dilacerant4--,,granateus ,concion4 de ,tempore1 ,tom4 i4 p4 #dib4 ,footnote #gd3 ,only by the way1 before we bring ,d4 against ,d4 to the stake1 ,i would fain know how ,mr ,bayes1 that so well understood the nature of beasts1 came to pitch upon the ,hind and the ,panther1 to signify the church of ,rome and the church of ,england8 ,doubtless his reply will be1 because the hind is a creature harmless and innocent2 the panther mischievous and inexorable4 ,let all this be granted2 what is this to the author's absurdity in the choice of his beasts8 ,for the scene of the persecution is ,europe1 a part of the world which never bred panthers since the creation of the universe4 ,on the other side1 grant his allusion passable1 and then he stigmatizes the church of ,england to be the most cruel and most voracious creature that ranges all the ,lybian deserts2--a character1 which shows him to have a strange mist before his eyes when he reads ecclesiastical history4 ,and then1 says he1 ,the panther1 sure the noblest next the hind1 ,and fairest creature of the spotted kind4 ,which is another blunder1 cujus contrarium verum est3 ,for if beauty1 strength1 and courage1 advance the value of the several parts of the creation1 without question the panther is far to be preferred before the hind1 a poor1 silly1 timorous1 ill-shaped1 bobtailed creature1 of which a score will hardly purchase the skin of a true panther4 ,had he looked a little farther1 ,ludolphus would have furnished him with a zebra1 the most beautiful of all the four-footed creatures in the world1 to have coped with his panther for spots1 and with his hind for gentleness and mildness2 of which one was sold singly to the ,turkish governor of ,suaquena for #bjjj ,venetian ducats4 ,there had been a beast for him1 as pat as a pudding for a friar's mouth4 ,but to couple the hind and the panther was just like sic magna parvis componere2 and1 therefore1 he had better have put his hind in a good pasty1 or reserved her for some more proper allusion2 for this1 though his nimble beast have four feet1 will by no means run quatuor pedibus1 though she had a whole kennel of hounds at her heels4--,the ,revolter1 a ,tragi-comedy4 ,footnote #ge3 ,the following justification of their plan is taken from the preface1 which is believed to have been entirely the composition of ,montague4 ,the favourers of ',the ,hind and ,panther' will be apt to say in its defence1 that the best things are capable of being turned to ridicule2 that ,homer has been burlesqued1 and ,virgil travestied1 without suffering any thing in their reputation from that buffoonery2 and that1 in like manner1',the ,hind and the ,panther' may be an exact poem1 though it is the subject of our raillery3 ,but there is this difference1 that those authors are wrested from their true sense1 and this naturally falls into ridicule2 there is nothing represented here as monstrous and unnatural1 which is not equally so in the original4--,first1 as to the general design2 ,is it not as easy to imagine two mice bilking coachmen1 and supping at the ,devil1 as to suppose a hind entertaining the panther at a hermit's cell1 discussing the greatest mysteries of religion1 and telling you her son ,rodriguez writ very good ,spanish8 ,what can be more improbable and contradictory to the rules and examples of all fables1 and to the very design and use of them8 ,they were first begun1 and raised to the highest perfection1 in the eastern countries1 where they wrote in signs1 and spoke in parables1 and delivered the most useful precepts in delightful stories2 which1 for their aptness1 were entertaining to the most judicious1 and led the vulgar into understanding by surprizing them with their novelty1 and fixing their attention4 ,all their fables carry a double meaning2 the story is one and entire2 the characters the same throughout1 not broken or changed1 and always conformable to the nature of the creatures they introduce4 ,they never tell you1 that the dog1 which snapt at a shadow1 lost his troop of horse2 that would be unintelligible2 a piece of flesh is proper for him to drop1 and the reader will apply it to mankind3 ,they would not say1 that the daw1 who was so proud of her borrowed plumes1 looked very ridiculous1 when ,rodriguez came and took away all the book but the #agth1 #bdth1 and #beth chapters1 which she stole from him4 ,but this is his new way of telling a story1 and confounding the moral and the fable together4 ,before the word was written1 said the hind1 ,our ,saviour preached the faith to all mankind4 ,what relation has the hind to our ,saviour8 or what notion have we of a panther's bible8 ,if you say he means the church1 how does the church feed on lawns1 or range in the forest8 ,let it be always a church1 or always the cloven-footed beast1 for we cannot bear his shifting the scene every line4 ,if it is absurd in comedies to make a peasant talk in the strain of a hero1 or a country wench use the language of the court1 how monstrous is it to make a priest of a hind1 and a parson of a panther8 ,to bring them in disputing with all the formalities and terms of the school8 ,though as to the arguments themselves1 those we confess are suited to the capacity of the beasts2 and if we would suppose a hind expressing herself about these matters1 she would talk at that rate4 ,the reader may be curious to see a specimen of the manner in which these two applauded wits encountered ,dryden's controversial poem1 with such eminent success1 that a contemporary author has said1 that ',the ,city and ,country ,mouse' ruined the reputation of the divine1 as the ',rehearsal' ruined the reputation of the poet4#gf ,the plan is a dialogue between ,bayes1 and ,smith1 and ,johnson1 his old friends in the ,rehearsal2 the poet recites to them a new work1 in which the ,popish and ,english churches are represented as the city and country mouse1 the former spotted1 the latter milk-white4 ,the following is a specimen both of the poetry and dialogue3 ,bayes4 ,reads4 ,with these allurements1 ,spotted did invite1 ,from hermit's cell1 the female proselyte4 ,oh1 with what ease we follow such a guide1 ,where souls are starved1 and senses gratified6 ,now1 would not you think she's going8 but1 egad1 you're mistaken2 you shall hear a long argument about infallibility before she stir yet3 ,but here the ,white1 by observation wise1 ,who long on heaven had fixed her prying eyes1 ,with thoughtful countenance1 and grave remark1 ,said1 ,or my judgment fails me1 or 'tis dark2 ,lest1 therefore1 we should stray1 and not go right1 ,through the brown horror of the starless night1 ,hast thou ,infallibility1 that wight8 ,sternly the savage grinned1 and thus replied1 ,that mice may err1 was never yet denied4 ,that ,i deny1 said the immortal dame1 ,there is a guide1--,gad1 ,i've forgot his name1-- ,who lives in ,heaven or ,rome1 the ,lord knows where2 ,had we but him1 sweet-heart1 we could not err4-- ,but hark ye1 sister1 this is but a whim1 ,for still we want a guide to find out him4 ,here1 you see1 ,i don't trouble myself to keep on the narration1 but write ,white speaks1 or ,dapple speaks1 by the side4 ,but when ,i get any noble thought1 which ,i envy a mouse should say1 ,i clap it down in my own person1 with a poeta loquitur2 which1 take notice1 is a surer sign of a fine thing in my writings1 than a hand in the margent anywhere else4--,well now1 says ,white1 ,what need we find him8 we have certain proof ,that he is somewhere1 dame1 and that's enough2 ,for if there is a guide that knows the way1 ,although we know not him1 we cannot stray4 ,that's true1 egad3 ,well said1 ,white4--,you see her adversary has nothing to say for herself2 and1 therefore1 to confirm the victory1 she shall make a simile4 ,smith4 ,why1 then1 ,i find similes are as good after victory1 as after a surprize4 ,bayes4 ,every jot1 egad2 or rather better4 ,well1 she can do it two ways2 either about emission or reception of light1 or else about ,epsom waters3 ,but ,i think the last is most familiar2 therefore speak1 my pretty one4 ,reads4 ,as though 'tis controverted in the school1 ,if waters pass by urine1 or by stool2 ,shall we1 who are philosophers1 thence gather1 ,from this dissention1 that they work by neither8 ,and1 egad1 she's in the right on't2 but1 mind now1 she comes upon her scoop4 ,reads4 ,all this ,i did1 your arguments to try4 ,and1 egad1 if they had been never so good1 this next line confutes 'em4 ,reads4 ,hear1 and be dumb1 thou wretch6 that guide am ,i4 ,there's a surprize for you now6--,how sneakingly t'other looks8--,was not that pretty now1 to make her ask for a guide first1 and tell her she was one8 ,who could have thought that this little mouse had the ,pope1 and a whole general council1 in her belly8--,now ,dapple had nothing to say to this2 and1 therefore1 you'll see she grows peevish4 ,reads4 ,come leave your cracking tricks2 and1 as they say1 ,use not that barber that trims time1 delay2-- ,which1 egad1 is new1 and my own4-- ,i've eyes as well as you to find the way4-- ,then on they jogged2 and1 since an hour of talk ,might cut a banter on the tedious walk1 ,as ,i remember1 said the sober ,mouse1 ,i've heard much talk of the ,wit's ,coffee-house4 ,thither1 says ,brindle1 thou shalt go1 and see ,priests sipping coffee1 sparks and poets tea1 ,here1 rugged frieze2 there1 quality well drest2 ,these1 baffling the ,grand ,seigneur2 those1 the ,test2 ,and here shrewd guesses made1 and reasons given1 ,that human laws were never made in heaven4 ,but1 above all1 what shall oblige thy sight1 ,and fill thy eye-balls with a vast delight1 ,is the poetic ,judge of sacred wit1#gg ,who does i'the darkness of glory sit4 ,and as the moon1 who first receives the light ,with which she makes these nether regions bright1 ,so does he shine1 reflecting from afar ,the rays he borrowed from a better star2 ,for rules1 which from ,corneille and ,rapin flow1 ,admired by all the scribbling herd below1 ,from ,french tradition while he does dispense1 ,unerring truths1 'tis schism1--a damned offence1-- ,to question his1 or trust your private sense4 ,ha6 is not that right1 ,mr ,johnson8--,gad forgive me1 he is fast asleep6 ,oh the damned stupidity of this age6 ,asleep6--,well1 sir1 since you're so drowsy1 your humble servant4 ,john4 ,nay1 pray1 ,mr ,bayes6 ,faith1 ,i heard you all the while4--,the white mouse---- ,bayes4 ,the white mouse6 ,ay1 ay1 ,i thought how you heard me4 ,your servant1 sir1 your servant4 ,john4 ,nay1 dear ,bayes3 ,faith1 ,i beg thy pardon1 ,i was up late last night4 ,prithee1 lend me a little snuff1 and go on4 ,bayes4 ,go on6 ,pox1 ,i don't know where ,i was4--,well1 ,i'll begin4 ,here1 mind1 now they are both come to town4 ,reads4 ,but now at ,piccadilly they arrive1 ,and1 taking coach1 t'wards ,temple-,bar they drive2 ,but1 at ,st ,clement's church1 eat out the back1 ,and1 slipping through the palsgrave1 bilked poor hack4 ,there's the utile which ought to be in all poetry4 ,many a young ,templar will save his shilling by this stratagem of my mice4 ,smith4 ,why1 will any young ,templar eat out the back of a coach8 ,bayes4 ,no1 egad6 ,but you'll grant1 it is mighty natural for a mouse4--,hind and ,panther ,transversed4 ,such was the wit1 which1 bolstered up by the applause of party1 was deemed an unanswerable ridicule of ,dryden's favourite poem4 ,footnote #gf3 ,preface to the ,second ,part of ,the ,reasons of ,mr ,bayes changing his ,religion4 ,footnote #gg3 i4e4 ,dryden himself4 ,footnote #gh3 ,i know not1 however1 but a critic might here also point out an example of that discrepancy1 which is censured by ,johnson1 and ridiculed by ,prior4 ,the cause of dissatisfaction in the pigeon-house is1 that the proprietor chuses rather to feed upon the flesh of his domestic poultry1 than upon theirs2 no very rational cause of mutiny on the part of the doves4 ,footnote #gi3 ,butler1 however1 assigns the ,bear-,garden as a type of my ,mother ,kirk2 and the resemblance is thus proved by ,ralpho3 ,synods are mystical bear-gardens1 ,where elders1 deputies1 church-wardens1 ,and other members of the court1 ,manage the ,babylonish sport2 ,for prolocutor1 scribe1 and bear-ward1 ,do differ only in a mere word2 ,both are but several synagogues ,of carnal men1 and bears1 and dogs2 ,both antichristian assemblies1 ,to mischief bent as far's in them lies2 ,both slave and toil with fierce contests1 ,the one with men1 the other beasts3 ,the difference is1 the one fights with ,the tongue1 the other with the teeth2 ,and that they bait but bears in this1 ,in t'other souls and consciences4 ,hudibras denies the resemblance1 and answers by an appeal to the senses3 ,for bears and dogs on four legs go ,as beasts1 but synod-men have two2 ',tis true1 they all have teeth and nails1 ,but prove that synod-men have tails2 ,or that a rugged shaggy fur ,grows o'er the hide of presbyter2 ,or that his snout and spacious ears ,do hold proportion with a bear's4 ,a bear's a savage beast1 of all ,most ugly and unnatural2 ,whelped without form1 until the dam ,has licked it into shape and frame2 ,but all thy light can ne'er evict1 ,that ever synod-man was lickt1 ,or brought to any other fashion1 ,than his own will and inclination4 ,hudibras1 ,part #a4 ,canto #c4 ,footnote #hj3 ,in short1 the whole poem1 if it may deserve that name1 is a piece of deformed1 arrogant nonsense1 and self-contradiction1 drest up in fine language1 like an ugly brazen-faced whore1 peeping through the costly trappings of a point de ,venise cornet4 ,i call it nonsense1 because unseasonable2 and arrogant1 because impertinent3 ,for could ,mr ,bayes have so little wit1 to think himself a sufficient champion to decide the high mysteries of faith and transubstantiation1 and the nice disputes concerning traditions and infallibility1 in a discourse between ,the ,hind and the ,panther1 which1 undetermined hitherto1 have exercised all the learning in the world8 ,or1 could he think the grand arcana of divinity a subject fit to be handled in flourishing rhyme1 by the author of ,the ,duke of ,guise1 or ,the ,conquest of ,peru1 or ,the ,spanish ,friar3 ,doubts which ,mr ,bayes is no more able to unfold1 than ,saffold to resolve a question in astrology4 ,and all this only as a tale to usher in his beloved character1 and to shew the excellency of his wit in abusing honest men4 ,if these were his thoughts1 as we cannot rationally otherwise believe1 seeing that no man of understanding will undertake an enterprise1 wherein he does not think himself to have some advantage of his predecessors2 then does this romance1 ,i say1 of ,the ,panther and the ,hind1 fall under the most fatal censure of unseasonable folly and saucy impertinence4 ,nor can ,i think1 that the more solid1 prudent1 and learned persons of the ,roman ,church1 con him any thanks for laying the prophane fingers of a turn-coat upon the altar of their sacred debates4--,the ,revolter1 a tragi-comedy1 acted between ,the ,hind and ,panther and ,religio ,laici1 c4 #afhg4 ,footnote #ha3 ,the following is the commencement of his ,reflections on the ,hind and ,panther1 in a letter to a friend1 #afhg3 ,the present you have made me of ,the ,hind and ,panther1 is variously talked of here in the country4 ,some wonder what kind of champion the ,roman ,catholics have now gotten2 for they have had divers ways of representing themselves2 but this of rhyming us to death1 is altogether new and unheard of1 before ,mr ,bayes set about it2 and1 indeed1 he hath done it in the sparkishest poem that ever was seen4 ',tis true1 he hath written a great many things2 but he never had such pure swiftness of thought1 as in this composition1 nor such fiery flights of fancy4 ,such hath always been his dramatical and scenical way of scribbling1 that there was no post nor pillar in the town exempt from the pasting up of the titles of his plays2 insomuch1 that the footboys1 for want of skill in reading1 do now 7as we hear7 often bring away1 by mistake1 the title of a new book against the ,church of ,england1 instead of taking down the play for the afternoon4 ,yet1 if he did it well or handsomely1 he might deserve some pardon2 but1 alas6 how ridiculously doth he appear in print for any religion1 who hath made it his business to laugh at all6 ,how can he stand up for any mode of worship1 who hath been accustomed to bite1 and spit his venom against the very name thereof8 ,wherefore1 ,i cannot but wish our adversaries joy on their new-converted hero1 ,mr ,bayes2 whose principle it is to fight single with whole armies2 and this one quality he prefers before all the moral virtues put together4 ,the ,roman ,catholics may talk what they will1 of their ,bellarmine and ,perrone1 their ,hector and ,achilles1 and ,i know not who2 but ,i desire them all1 to shew one such champion for the cause1 as this ,drawcansir3 ,for he is the man that kills whole nations at once2 who1 as he never wrote any thing1 that any one can imagine has ever been the practice of the world1 so1 in his late endeavours to pen controversy1 you shall hardly find one word to the purpose4 ,he is that accomplished person1 who loves reasoning so much in verse1 and hath got a knack of writing it smoothly4 ,the subject 7he treats of in this poem7 did1 in his opinion1 require more than ordinary spirit and flame2 therefore1 he supposed it to be too great for prose2 for he is too proud to creep servilely after sense2 so that1 in his verse1 he soars high above the reach of it4 ,to do this1 there is no need of brain1 'tis but scanning right2 the labour is in the finger1 not in the head4 ,however1 if ,mr ,bayes would be pleased to abate a little of the exuberancy of his fancy and wit2 to dispense with his ornaments and superfluencies of invention and satire1 a man might consider1 whether he should submit to his argument2 but take away the railing1 and no argument remains2 so that one may beat the bush a whole day1 and1 after so much labour1 only spring a butterfly1 or start a hedge-hog4 ,for all this1 is it not great pity to see a man1 in the flower of his romantic conceptions1 in the full vigour of his studies on love and honour1 to fall into such a distraction1 as to walk through the thorns and briars of controversy1 unless his confessor hath commanded it1 as a penance for some past sins8 that a man1 who hath read ,don ,quixote for the greatest part of his life1 should pretend to interpret the ,bible1 or trace the footsteps of tradition1 even in the darkest ages8--,four ,letters1 c4 ,footnote #hb3 ,to draw now to an end1 ,mr ,bayes1 ,i hear1 has lately complained1 at ,willis' ,coffeehouse1 of the ill usage he has met in the world2 that whereas he had the generosity and assurance to set his own name to his late piece of polemic poetry1 yet others1 who have pretended to answer him1 wanted the breeding and civility to do the like3 ,now1 because ,i would not willingly disoblige a person of ,mr ,bayes's character1 ,i do here fairly1 and before all the world1 assure him that my name is ,dudly ,tomkinson1 and that ,i live within two miles of ,st ,michael's ,mount1 in ,cornwall1 and have1 in my time1 been both constable1 church-warden1 and overseer of the parish2 by the same token1 that the little gallery next the belfry1 the new motto about the pulpit1 the king's arms1 the ten commandments1 and the great sun-dial in the church-yard1 will transmit my name to all posterity4 ,furthermore1 7if it will do him any good at all7 ,i can make a pretty shift to read without spectacles2 wear my own hair1 which is somewhat inclining to red2 have a large mole on my left cheek2 am mightily troubled with corns2 and1 what is peculiar to my constitution1 after half-a-dozen bottles of claret1 which ,i generally carry home every night from the tavern1 ,i never fail of a stool or two next morning2 besides1 use to smoke a pipe every day after dinner1 and afterwards steal a nap for an hour or two in the old wicker-chair near the oven2 take gentle purgatives spring and fall2 and it has been my custom1 any time these sixteen years1 7as all the parish can testify7 to ride in ,gambadoes4 ,nay1 to win the heart of him for ever1 ,i invite him here1 before the courteous reader1 to a country regale1 7provided he will before hand promise not to debauch my wife17 where he shall have sugar to his roast beef1 and vinegar to his butter2 and lastly1 to make him amends for the tediousness of the journey1 a parcel of relics to carry home with him1 which ,i believe can scarce be matched in the whole ,christian world2 but1 because ,i have no great fancy that way1 ,i don't care if ,i part with them to so worthy a person2 they are as followeth3 ,st ,gregory's ,ritual1 bound up in the same calve's-skin that the old gentleman1 in ,st ,luke1 roasted at the return of his prodigal son4 ,the quadrant that a ,philistine tailor took the height of ,goliah by1 when he made him his last suit of clothes2 for the giant being a man of extraordinary dimensions1 it was impossible to do this in any other way than your designers use when they take the height of a country-steeple1 c4 c4--,reasons for ,mr ,bayes changing his ,religion4 ,see ,preface4 ,footnote #hc3 ,,the ,,laureat4 ,jack ,squab's history1 in a little drawn1 ,down to his evening from his morning dawn4 7,bought by ,mr ,luttrel1 #bdth ,october1 #afhg47 ,appear1 thou mighty bard1 to open view2 ,which yet1 we must confess1 you need not do4 ,the labour to expose thee we may save2 ,thou standst upon thy own records a knave1 ,condemned to live in thy apostate rhymes1 ,the curse of ours1 and scoff of future times4 ,still tacking round with every turn of state1 ,reverse to ,shaftesbury1 thy cursed fate ,is always1 at a change1 to come too late4 ,to keep his plots from coxcombs1 was his care2 ,his villainy was masked1 and thine is bare4 ,wise men alone could guess at his design1 ,and could but guess1 the threads were spun so fine2 ,but every purblind fool may see through thine4 ,had ,dick still kept the regal diadem1 ,thou hadst been poet laureat still to him1 ,and1 long ere now1 in lofty verse proclaimed ,his high extraction1 among princes famed2 ,diffused his glorious deed from pole to pole1 ,where winds can carry1 or where waves can roll3 ,nay1 had our ,charles1 by heaven's severe decree1 ,been found and murdered in the royal tree1 ,even thou hadst praised the fact2 his father slain1 ,thou callest but gently breathing of a vein4 ,impious and villainous1 to bless the blow ,that laid at once three lofty nations low1 ,and gave the royal cause a fatal overthrow6 ,scandal to all religions1 new and old2 ,scandal to them1 where pardon's bought and sold1 ,and mortgaged happiness redeemed for gold4 ,tell me1 for 'tis a truth you must allow1 ,who ever changed more in one moon than thou8 ,even thy own ,zimri was more stedfast known1 ,he had but one religion1 or had none4 ,what sect of ,christians is't thou hast not known1 ,and at one time or other made thy own8 ,a bristled baptist bred1 and then thy strain ,immaculate was far from sinful stain2 ,no songs1 in those blest times1 thou didst produce1 ,to brand and shame good manners out of use2 ,the ladies had not then one b---- bob1 ,nor thou the courtly name of ,poet ,squab4 ,next1 thy dull muse1 an independant jade1 ,on sacred tyranny fine stanzas made2 ,praised ,noll1 who even to both extremes did run1 ,to kill the father and dethrone the son4 ,when ,charles came in1 thou didst a convert grow1 ,more by thy interest1 than thy nature so2 ,under his 'livening beams thy laurels spread2 ,he first did place that wreath about thy head1 ,kindly relieved thy wants1 and gave thee bread4 ,here 'twas thou mad'st thy bells of fancy chime1 ,and choked the town with suffocating rhyme2 ,till heroes1 formed by thy creating pen1 ,were grown as cheap and dull as other men4 ,flushed with success1 full gallery and pit1 ,thou bravest all mankind with want of wit2 ,nay1 in short time wer't grown so proud a ninny1 ,as scarce to allow that ,ben himself had any2 ,but when the men of sense thy error saw1 ,they checked thy muse1 and kept the termagant in awe4 ,to satire next thy talent was addrest1 ,fell foul on all1 thy friends among the rest3 ,those who the oft'nest did thy wants supply1 ,abused1 traduced1 without a reason why2 ,nay1 even thy royal patron was not spared1 ,but an obscene1 a santring wretch declared4 ,thy loyal libel we can still produce2 ,beyond example1 and beyond excuse4 ,o strange return to a forgiving king6 ,but the warmed viper wears the greatest sting4 ,thy pension lost1 and justly without doubt2 ,when servants snarl1 we ought to kick 'em out2 ,they that disdain their benefactor's bread1 ,no longer ought by bounty to be fed4 ,that lost1 the visor changed1 you turn about1 ,and straight a true blue ,protestant crept out4 ,the ,friar now was writ2 and some will say1 ,they smell a mal-content through all the play4 ,the ,papist too was damned1 unfit for trust1 ,called treacherous1 shameless1 profligate1 unjust2 ,and kingly power thought arbitrary lust4 ,this lasted till thou didst thy pension gain1 ,and that changed both thy morals and thy strain4 ,if to write contradictions nonsense be1 ,who has more nonsense in their works than thee8 ,we'll mention but thy ,layman's ,faith and ,hind3 ,who'll think both these1 such clashing do we find1 ,could be the product of one single mind6 ,here thou wouldst charitable fain appear1 ,find fault that ,athanasius was severe2 ,thy pity straight to cruelty is raised1 ,and even the pious inquisition praised1 ,and recommended to the present reign1 ,o happy countries1 ,italy and ,spain6 ,have we not cause1 in thine own words1 to say1 ,let none believe what varies every day1 ,that never was1 nor will be1 at a stay8 ,once heathens might be saved1 you did allow1 ,but not1 it seems1 we greater heathens now4 ,the loyal church1 that buoys the kingly line1 ,damned with a breath1 but 'tis such a breath as thine4 ,what credit to thy party can it be1 ,to have gained so lewd a profligate as he1 ,strayed from our fold1 makes us to laugh1 not weep2 ,we have but lost what was disgrace to keep4 ,by them mistrusted1 and to us a scorn2 ,for 'tis but weakness at the best to turn4 ,true1 hadst thou left us in the former reign1 ,y'had proved it was not wholly done for gain2 ,now the meridian sun is not so plain4 ,gold is thy god2 for a substantial sum1 ,thou to the ,turk wouldst run away from ,rome1 ,and sing his holy expedition against ,christendom4 ,but1 to conclude2 blush with a lasting red1 ,if thou'rt not moved by what's already said1 ,to see thy boars1 bears1 buzzards1 wolves1 and owls1 ,and all thy other beasts and other fowls1 ,routed by two poor mice 7unequal fight672 ,but easy 'tis to conquer in the right4 ,see1 there a youth1 7a shame to thy gray hairs7 ,make a mere dunce of all thy threescore years4 ,what in that tedious poem hast thou done1 ,but crammed all ,esop's fables into one8 ,but why do ,i the precious minutes spend ,on him1 that would much rather hang than mend8 ,no1 wretch1 continue still just as thou art1 ,thou'rt now in this last scene that crowns thy part4 ,to purchase favour veer with every gale1 ,and against interest never cease to rail1 ,though thou'rt the only proof how interest can prevail4 ,,footnote3 ,footnote #hd3 ,tale of a ,tub1 first part4 ,tommy ,potts is a silly popular ballad1 for which see ,ritson's ,ancient ,songs4 ,,the ,,preface4 ,the nation is in too high a ferment1 for me to expect either fair war1 or even so much as fair quarter1 from a reader of the opposite party4 ,all men are engaged either on this side or that2 and though conscience is the common word which is given by both1 yet if a writer fall among enemies1 and cannot give the marks of their conscience1 he is knocked down before the reasons of his own are heard4 ,a preface1 therefore1 which is but a bespeaking of favour1 is altogether useless4 ,what ,i desire the reader should know concerning me1 he will find in the body of the poem1 if he have but the patience to peruse it4 ,only this advertisement let him take before-hand1 which relates to the merits of the cause4 ,no general characters of parties 7call them either sects or churches7 can be so fully and exactly drawn1 as to comprehend all the several members of them2 at least all such as are received under that denomination4 ,for example2 there are some of the church by law established1 who envy not liberty of conscience to dissenters2 as being well satisfied that1 according to their own principles1 they ought not to persecute them4 ,yet these1 by reason of their fewness1 ,i could not distinguish from the numbers of the rest1 with whom they are embodied in one common name4 ,on the other side1 there are many of our sects1 and more indeed than ,i could reasonably have hoped1 who have withdrawn themselves from the communion of the ,panther1 and embraced this gracious indulgence of his majesty in point of toleration4 ,but neither to the one nor the other of these is this satire any way intended3 it is aimed only at the refractory and disobedient on either side4 ,for those1 who are come over to the royal party1 are consequently supposed to be out of gun-shot4#he ,our physicians have observed1 that1 in process of time1 some diseases have abated of their virulence1 and have in a manner worn out their malignity1 so as to be no longer mortal2 and why may not ,i suppose the same concerning some of those1 who have formerly been enemies to kingly government1 as well as ,catholic religion8 ,i hope they have now another notion of both1 as having found1 by comfortable experience1 that the doctrine of persecution is far from being an article of our faith4#hf ,it is not for any private man to censure the proceedings of a foreign prince3#hg but1 without suspicion of flattery1 ,i may praise our own1 who has taken contrary measures1 and those more suitable to the spirit of ,christianity4 ,some of the dissenters1 in their addresses to his majesty1 have said1 ,that he has restored ,god to his empire over conscience4#hh ,i confess1 ,i dare not stretch the figure to so great a boldness3 but ,i may safely say1 that conscience is the royalty and prerogative of every private man4 ,he is absolute in his own breast1 and accountable to no earthly power for that which passes only betwixt ,god and him4 ,those who are driven into the fold are1 generally speaking1 rather made hypocrites than converts4 ,this indulgence being granted to all the sects1 it ought in reason to be expected1 that they should both receive it1 and receive it thankfully4 ,for1 at this time of day1 to refuse the benefit1 and adhere to those whom they have esteemed their persecutors1 what is it else but publicly to own1 that they suffered not before for conscience-sake1 but only out of pride and obstinacy1 to separate from a church for those impositions1 which they now judge may be lawfully obeyed8 ,after they have so long contended for their classical ordination 7not to speak of rites and ceremonies7 will they at length submit to an episcopal8 ,if they can go so far1 out of complaisance to their old enemies1 methinks a little reason should persuade them to take another step1 and see whither that will lead them4#hi ,of the receiving this toleration thankfully1 ,i shall say no more1 than that they ought1 and ,i doubt not they will consider from what hand they received it4 ,it is not from a ,cyrus1 a heathen prince1 and a foreigner1#ij but from a christian king1 their native sovereign2 who expects a return in specie from them1 that the kindness1 which he has graciously shewn them1 may be retaliated on those of his own persuasion4 ,as for the poem in general1 ,i will only thus far satisfy the reader1 that it was neither imposed on me1 nor so much as the subject given me by any man4 ,it was written during the last winter1 and the beginning of this spring2 though with long interruptions of ill health and other hindrances4 ,about a fortnight before ,i had finished it1 his majesty's ,declaration for liberty of conscience came abroad2 which1 if ,i had so soon expected1 ,i might have spared myself the labour of writing many things which are contained in the third part of it4 ,but ,i was always in some hope1 that the church of ,england might have been persuaded to have taken off the penal laws and the test1 which was one design of the poem1 when ,i proposed to myself the writing of it4 ,it is evident that some part of it was only occasional1 and not first intended3 ,i mean that defence of myself1 to which every honest man is bound1 when he is injuriously attacked in print2 and ,i refer myself to the judgment of those1 who have read the answer to the ,defence of the late king's ,papers1 and that of the duchess1 7in which last ,i was concerned7 how charitably ,i have been represented there4#ia ,i am now informed both of the author and supervisors of this pamphlet1 and will reply1 when ,i think he can affront me3 for ,i am of ,socrates's opinion1 that all creatures cannot4 ,in the mean time let him consider whether he deserved not a more severe reprehension than ,i gave him formerly1 for using so little respect to the memory of those1 whom he pretended to answer2 and1 at his leisure1 look out for some original treatise of humility1 written by any ,protestant in ,english2 7,i believe ,i may say in any other tongue37 for the magnified piece of ,duncombe on that subject1 which either he must mean1 or none1 and with which another of his fellows has upbraided me1 was translated from the ,spanish of ,rodriguez2 though with the omission of the seventeenth1 the twenty-fourth1 the twenty-fifth1 and the last chapter1 which will be found in comparing of the books4#ib ,he would have insinuated to the world1 that her late ,highness died not a ,roman ,catholic4 ,he declares himself to be now satisfied to the contrary1 in which he has given up the cause3 for matter of fact was the principal debate betwixt us4 ,in the mean time1 he would dispute the motives of her change2 how preposterously1 let all men judge1 when he seemed to deny the subject of the controversy1 the change itself4#ic ,and because ,i would not take up this ridiculous challenge1 he tells the world ,i cannot argue3 but he may as well infer1 that a ,catholic cannot fast1 because he will not take up the cudgels against ,mrs ,james1#id to confute the ,protestant religion4 ,i have but one word more to say concerning the poem as such1 and abstracting from the matters1 either religious or civil1 which are handled in it4 ,the ,first ,part1 consisting most in general characters and narration1 ,i have endeavoured to raise1 and give it the majestic turn of heroic poesy4 ,the ,second1 being matter of dispute1 and chiefly concerning church authority1 ,i was obliged to make as plain and perspicuous as possibly ,i could2 yet not wholly neglecting the numbers1 though ,i had not frequent occasions for the magnificence of verse4 ,the ,third1 which has more of the nature of domestic conversation1 is1 or ought to be1 more free and familiar than the two former4 ,there are in it two episodes1 or fables1 which are interwoven with the main design2 so that they are properly parts of it1 though they are also distinct stories of themselves4 ,in both of these ,i have made use of the common-places of satire1 whether true or false1 which are urged by the members of the one church against the other3 at which ,i hope no reader of either party will be scandalized1 because they are not of my invention1 but as old1 to my knowledge1 as the times of ,boccace and ,chaucer on the one side1 and as those of the ,reformation on the other4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #he3 ,the tumultuary joy of the sectaries1 upon their first view of this triumph over the church of ,england1 led them into all the extravagancies of loyalty1 which used to be practised by their ancient enemies the ,tories4 ,addresses teeming with affection1 and foaming with bombast1 were poured in upon ,king ,james from all corners of his dominions2 ,presbyterians1 ,anabaptists1 ,quakers1 ,sectaries of all sorts and persuasions1 strove to be foremost in the race of gratitude4 ,and when similar addresses came in from corporations1 who had been formerly anxious to shew their loyalty on the subject of the ,rye-house plot1 the king's accession1 and other occasions of triumph to the ,tories1 the tone of these bodies also was wonderfully changed2 and1 instead of raving against excluders1 rebels1 regicides1 republicans1 and fanatics1 whose hellish contrivances endeavoured to destroy the safety of the kingdom1 and the life of the king1 these same gentlemen mention the ,sectaries as their brethren and fellow-subjects1 to whom the king1 their common father1 had been justly1 liberally1 royally pleased to grant freedom of conscience1 for which the addressers offer their hearty and unfeigned thanks4 ,these were the two classes of persons1 whom ,dryden1 as they had closed with the measures of government1 declares to be exempted from his satire4 ,those1 therefore1 against whom it is avowedly directed1 are first1 the ,church of ,england1 whose adherents saw her destruction aimed at through the pretence of toleration4 #b;dly1 ,those ,sectaries1 who distrusted the boon which the king presented1 and feared that the consequences of this immediate indulgence at the hands of an ancient enemy1 would be purchased by future persecution4 ,these formed a body1 small at first1 but whose numbers daily increased4 ,among the numerous addresses which were presented to the court on this occasion1 there are two somewhat remarkable from the quality and condition of the persons in whose name they are offered4 ,the one is from the persons engaged in the schemes of ,shaftesbury and ,monmouth1 and who set out by acknowledging their lives and fortunes forfeited to ,king ,james2 a singular instance of convicts offering their sentiments upon state affairs4 ,the other is from no less a corporation than the company of ,london ,cooks1 which respectable persons declare their approbation of the indulgence1 upon a principle recognized in their profession1 the difference of men's gusto1 in religion1 as in eatables2 and assure his majesty1 that his declaration somewhat resembles the ,almighty's manna1 which suited every man's palate4 ,history of ,addresses1 pp4 #ajf1 #acb4 ,footnote #hf3 ,most readers will1 ,i think1 acknowledge with me1 the extreme awkwardness with which ,dryden apologizes1 for hoping well of those ,sectaries1 against whom he had so often discharged the utmost severity of his pen4 ,yet there is much real truth in the observation1 though the compliment to the new allies of the ,catholics is but a cold one4 ,many sects have distinguished themselves by faction1 fanaticism1 and furious excess at their rise1 which1 when their spirits have ceased to be agitated by novelty1 and exasperated by persecution1 have subsided into quiet orderly classes of citizens1 only remarkable for some peculiarities of speculative doctrine4 ,footnote #hg3 ,alluding to the persecution of the ,huguenots in ,france1 after the recall of the edict of ,nantes4 ,footnote #hh3 ,this phrase occurs in the address of the ,ministers of the ,gospel in and about the city of ,london1 commonly called ,presbyterians3 ,your majesty's princely wisdom1 say these reverend sycophants1 now rescues us from our long sufferings1 and by the same royal act restores ,god to the empire over conscience4 ,this it is to be too eloquent2 when people set no bounds to their rhetoric1 it betrays them often into nonsense1 and not seldom into blasphemy4--,history of ,addresses1 p4 #ajg4 ,footnote #hi3 ,a gentle insinuation1 that1 if the sectaries could renounce the ordination by presbyteries or classes1 in favour of the church of ,england1 it would require but a step or two farther to bring them to a conformity with that of ,rome4 ,footnote #ij3 ,who freed the ,jews from their bondage1 and gave them permission to rebuild their city and temple4--,see the ,book of ,esdras4 ,footnote #ia3 ,in his ardour for extending the ,catholic religion1 ,james ,,ii4 had directed copies of the papers found in his brother's strongbox in favour of that communion1 with the copy of a paper by his first duchess1 giving the reasons for her conversion to that faith1 to be printed1 and circulated through the kingdom4 ,these papers were answered by the learned ,stillingfleet1 then ,dean of ,st ,paul's4 ,a ,defence of the ,papers was published by command1 of which it appears1 from the passage in the text1 that our author wrote the third part1 which applies to the ,duchess of ,york's paper4 ,stillingfleet published a vindication of his answer1 in which he attacks our author with some severity4 ,a full account of the controversy will be found attached to ,dryden's part of the ,defence1 among his prose works4 ,footnote #ib3 ,in the controversy between ,dryden and ,stillingfleet1 the former had concluded his ,defence of the ,duchess of ,york's paper1 by alleging1 that among all the volumes of divinity written by the ,protestants1 there is not one original treatise1 at least that ,i have seen or heard of1 which has handled distinctly1 and by itself1 the ,christian virtue of humility4 ,this ,stillingfleet1 in his reply1 calls a bare-faced assertion of a thing known to be false2 for1 with-in a few years1 besides what has been printed formerly1 such a book hath been published in ,london4 ,dryden1 in the text1 replies to this allegation1 that ,duncombe's treatise1 which he supposes to be meant1 is a translation from the ,spanish of ,rodriguez1 therefore1 not originally a ,protestant work4 ,montague1 in the preface to ,the ,hind and ,panther ,transversed alleges1 that ,dryden has mistaken the name of the author of the treatise alluded to2 which was not1 he asserts1 ,duncombe1 but ,allen4 ,see the matter more fully canvassed in a note on the original passage1 in ,the ,duchess of ,york's ,paper ,defended4 ,footnote #ic3 ,dryden is not quite candid in his statement4 ,in ,stillingfleet's answer to the ,duchess's paper1 it is indeed called1 the paper said to be written by a great lady2 but there is not another word upon the authority1 which1 indeed1 considering it was published under the king's immediate inspection1 could not be very decorously disputed4 ,dryden seizes upon this phrase in his defence1 and1 coupling with it some expressions of the ,bishop of ,winchester1 he argues that it was the intention of these sons of the church of ,england1 to give the lie to their sovereign4 ,in this vindication of the answer1 ,stillingfleet thus expresses himself3 ,as to the main design of the third paper1 ,i declared1 that ,i considered it1 as it was supposed to contain the reasons and motives of the conversion of so great a lady to the church of ,rome4 ,but this gentleman has now eased me of the necessity of farther considering it on that account4 ,for he declares1 that none of those motives or reasons are to be found in the paper of her highness4 ,which he repeats several times4 ',she writ this paper1 not as to the reasons she had herself for changing1 c4' ',as for her reasons1 they were only betwixt ,god and her own soul1 and the priest with whom she spoke at last4' ,and so my work is at an end as to her paper4 ,for ,i never intended to ransack the private papers or secret narratives of great persons2 and ,i do not in the least question the relation now given from so great authority1 as that he mentions of the passages concerning her2 and therefore ,i have nothing more to say as to what relates to the person of the duchess4 ,it is obvious that ,dryden1 probably finding the divine too hard for him on the controversial part of the subject1 affects to consider the dispute as entirely limited to the authenticity of the paper1 which it cannot be supposed ,stillingfleet ever seriously intended to impeach4 ,footnote #id3 ,eleanor ,james1 a lady who was at this period pleased to stand up as a champion for the test1 against the repeal which ,james had so deeply at heart4 ,this female theologian is mentioned in the ,remarks from the country1 upon the two ,letters1 relating to the convocation1 and alterations in the liturgy4 ,it is a thousand pities1 so instructive and so eloquent papers should ever fall under such an imputation1 7of being too forward1 and solemn impertinence17 and be ranked among the scribblings of ,eleanor ,james1 with this only advantage of having better language1 whereas the woman counsellor is judged to have the better meaning4 ,although ,mrs ,james's lucubrations were thus vilipended by the male disputants1 one of her own sex thought it necessary to enter the lists in opposition to her4 ,see ,elizabeth ,rone's short ,answer to ,eleanor ,james's ,long ,preamble1 or ,vindication of the ,new ,test3 ,the book called ,mistress ,james's ,vindication1 ,does seem to me but her great indignation2 ,against the ,romans and dissenters too1 ,she for the church of ,england makes adoe2 ,calling her ,christ's spouse1 but she's mistaken1 ,christ's spouse is she that is by her forsaken4 ,mrs ,james's work was entitled1 ,a ,vindication of the ,church of ,england1 in answer to a pamphlet1 entitled1 a ,new ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,she was herself the wife of a printer1 who left many books to the library of ,sion college4 ,mrs ,james's picture is preserved in the library1 in the full dress of a citizen's wife of that period4 ,she survived her husband many years1 and carried on the printing business on her own account4--,,malone1 ,vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #eci4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,a milk-white ,hind1#ie immortal and unchanged1 ,fed on the lawns1 and in the forest ranged2 ,without unspotted1 innocent within1 ,she feared no danger1 for she knew no sin4 ,yet had she oft been chased with horns and hounds1 ,and ,scythian shafts2 and many winged wounds ,aimed at her heart2 was often forced to fly1 ,and doomed to death1 though fated not to die4#if ,not so her young2 for their unequal line ,was hero's make1 half human1 half divine4 ,their earthly mould obnoxious was to fate1 ,the immortal part assumed immortal state4 ,of these a slaughtered army lay in blood1#ig ,extended o'er the ,caledonian wood1 ,their native walk2 whose vocal blood arose1 ,and cried for pardon on their perjured foes4 ,their fate was fruitful1 and the sanguine seed1 ,endued with souls1 increased the sacred breed4 ,so captive ,israel multiplied in chains1 ,a numerous exile1 and enjoyed her pains4 ,with grief and gladness mixed1 the mother viewed ,her martyr'd offspring1 and their race renewed2 ,their corps to perish1 but their kind to last1 ,so much the deathless plant the dying fruit surpassed4 ,panting and pensive now she ranged alone1 ,and wandered in the kingdoms1 once her own4 ,the common hunt1 though from their rage restrained ,by sovereign power1 her company disdained1 ,grinned as they passed1 and with a glaring eye ,gave gloomy signs of secret enmity ',tis true1 she bounded by1 and trip'd so light1 ,they had not time to take a steady sight2 ,for truth has such a face and such a mien1 ,as to be loved needs only to be seen4 ,the bloody ,bear1 an independent beast1 ,unlicked to form1 in groans her hate exprest4#ih ,among the timorous kind1 the quaking ,hare ,professed neutrality1 but would not swear4#ii ,next her the buffoon ,ape1 as atheists use1 ,mimicked all sects1 and had his own to chuse2 ,still when the ,lion looked1 his knees he bent1 ,and paid at church a courtier's compliment4#ajj ,the bristled baptist ,boar1 impure as he1#aja ,but whitened with the foam of sanctity1 ,with fat pollutions filled the sacred place1 ,and mountains levelled in his furious race2 ,so first rebellion founded was in grace4 ,but since the mighty ravage1 which he made ,in ,german forests1 had his guilt betrayed1 ,with broken tusks1 and with a borrowed name1 ,he shunned the vengeance1 and concealed the shame2 ,so lurked in sects unseen4 ,with greater guile ,false ,reynard fed on consecrated spoil2#ajb ,the graceless beast by ,athanasius first ,was chased from ,nice1 then by ,socinus nursed2 ,his impious race their blasphemy renewed1 ,and nature's king through nature's optics viewed4 ,reversed1 they viewed him lessened to their eye1 ,nor in an infant could a ,god descry2 ,new swarming sects to this obliquely tend1 ,hence they began1 and here they all will end4 ,what weight of antient witness can prevail1 ,if private reason hold the public scale8 ,but1 gracious ,god1 how well dost thou provide ,for erring judgments an unerring guide6 ,thy throne is darkness in the abyss of light1 ,a blaze of glory that forbids the sight4 ,o teach me to believe thee1 thus concealed1 ,and search no farther than thyself revealed2 ,but her alone for my director take1 ,whom thou hast promised never to forsake6 ,my thoughtless youth was winged with vain desires2 ,my manhood1 long misled by wandering fires1 ,followed false lights2 and1 when their glimpse was gone1 ,my pride struck out new sparkles of her own4 ,such was ,i1 such by nature still ,i am2 ,be thine the glory1 and be mine the shame6 ,good life be now my task2 my doubts are done2#ajc ,what more could fright my faith1 than three in one8 ,can ,i believe eternal ,god could lie ,disguised in mortal mould1 and infancy8 ,that the great ,maker of the world could die8 ,and after that trust my imperfect sense1 ,which calls in question his omnipotence8 ,can ,i my reason to my faith compel1 ,and shall my sight1 and touch1 and taste rebel8 ,superior faculties are set aside2 ,shall their subservient organs be my guide8 ,then let the moon usurp the rule of day1 ,and winking tapers shew the sun his way2 ,for what my senses can themselves perceive1 ,i need no revelation to believe4 ,can they1 who say the host should be descried ,by sense1 define a body glorified8 ,impassable1 and penetrating parts8 ,let them declare by what mysterious arts ,he shot that body through the opposing might1 ,of bolts and bars impervious to the light1 ,and stood before his train confessed in open sight4#ajd ,for since thus wondrously he passed1 'tis plain1 ,one single place two bodies did contain2 ,and sure the same ,omnipotence as well ,can make one body in more places dwell4 ,let reason then at her own quarry fly1 ,but how can finite grasp infinity8 ',tis urged again1 that faith did first commence ,by miracles1 which are appeals to sense1 ,and thence concluded1 that our sense must be ,the motive still of credibility2 ,for latter ages must on former wait1 ,and what began belief1 must propagate4 ,but winnow well this thought1 and you shall find ',tis light as chaff that flies before the wind4 ,were all those wonders wrought by power divine1 ,as means or ends of some more deep design8 ,most sure as means1 whose end was this alone1 ,to prove the ,godhead of the ,eternal ,son4 ,god thus asserted1 man is to believe ,beyond what sense and reason can conceive1 ,and1 for mysterious things of faith1 rely ,on the proponent1 heaven's authority4 ,if1 then1 our faith we for our guide admit1 ,vain is the farther search of human wit2 ,as when the building gains a surer stay1 ,we take the unuseful scaffolding away4 ,reason by sense no more can understand2 ,the game is played into another hand4 ,why chuse we then like bilanders#aje to creep ,along the coast1 and land in view to keep1 ,when safely we may launch into the deep8 ,in the same vessel1 which our ,saviour bore1 ,himself the pilot1 let us leave the shore1 ,and with a better guide a better world explore4 ,could he his ,godhead veil with flesh and blood1 ,and not veil these again to be our food8 ,his grace in both is equal in extent1 ,the first affords us life1 the second nourishment4 ,and if he can1 why all this frantic pain1 ,to construe what his clearest words contain1 ,and make a riddle what he made so plain8 ,to take up half on trust1 and half to try1 ,name it not faith1 but bungling bigotry2 ,both knave and fool the merchant we may call1 ,to pay great sums1 and to compound the small2 ,for who would break with heaven1 and would not break for all8 ,rest then1 my soul1 from endless anguish freed2 ,nor sciences thy guide1 nor sense thy creed4 ,faith is the best ensurer of thy bliss2 ,the bank above must fail1 before the venture miss4 ,but heaven and heaven-born faith are far from thee1 ,thou first apostate to divinity4 ,unkennelled range in thy ,polonian plains2 ,a fiercer foe the insatiate ,wolf remains4 ,too boastful ,britain1 please thyself no more1 ,that beasts of prey are banished from thy shore2 ,the bear1 the boar1 and every savage name1 ,wild in effect1 though in appearance tame1 ,lay waste thy woods1 destroy thy blissful bower1 ,and1 muzzled though they seem1 the mutes devour4 ,more haughty than the rest1 the wolfish race ,appears with belly gaunt1 and famished face2 ,never was so deformed a beast of grace4 ,his ragged tail betwixt his legs he wears1 ,close clap'd for shame2 but his rough crest he rears1 ,and pricks up his predestinating ears4#ajf ,his wild disordered walk1 his hagard eyes1 ,did all the bestial citizens surprise4 ,though feared and hated1 yet he ruled a while1 ,as captain or companion of the spoil4 ,full many a year his hateful head had been ,for tribute paid1 nor since in ,cambria seen2 ,the last of all the litter 'scaped by chance1 ,and from ,geneva first infested ,france4 ,some authors thus his pedigree will trace1 ,but others write him of an upstart race2 ,because of ,wickliffe's brood no mark he brings1 ,but his innate antipathy to kings4 ,these last deduce him from the ,helvetian kind1 ,who near the ,leman-lake his consort lined2 ,that fiery ,zuinglius first the affection bred1 ,and meagre ,calvin blest the nuptial bed4 ,in ,israel some believe him whelped long since1 ,when the proud sanhedrim oppressed the prince2 ,or1 since he will be ,jew1 derive him higher1 ,when ,corah with his brethren did conspire ,from ,moses' hand the sovereign sway to wrest1 ,and ,aaron of his ephod to divest2 ',till opening earth made way for all to pass1 ,and could not bear the burden of a class4#ajg ,the ,fox and he came shuffled in the dark1 ,if ever they were stowed in ,noah's ark2 ,perhaps not made2 for all their barking train ,the dog 7a common species7 will contain2 ,and some wild curs1 who from their masters ran1 ,abhorring the supremacy of man1 ,in woods and caves the rebel-race began4 ,o happy pair1 how well have you increased6 ,what ills in church and state have you redressed6 ,with teeth untried1 and rudiments of claws1 ,your first essay was on your native laws2 ,those having torn with ease1 and trampled down1 ,your fangs you fastened on the mitred crown1 ,and freed from ,god and monarchy your town4 ,what though your native kennel still be small1 ,bounded betwixt a puddle and a wall2#ajh ,yet your victorious colonies are sent ,where the north ocean girds the continent4 ,quickened with fire below1 your monsters breed ,in fenny ,holland1 and in fruitful ,tweed2 ,and1 like the first1 the last affects to be ,drawn to the dregs of a democracy4 ,as1 where in fields the fairy rounds are seen1 ,a rank sour herbage rises on the green2 ,so1 springing where those midnight elves advance1 ,rebellion prints the footsteps of the dance4 ,such are their doctrines1 such contempt they show ,to heaven above1 and to their prince below1 ,as none but traitors and blasphemers know4 ,god like the tyrant of the skies is placed1 ,and kings1 like slaves1 beneath the crowd debased4 ,so fulsome is their food1 that flocks refuse ,to bite1 and only dogs for physic use4 ,as1 where the lightning runs along the ground1 ,no husbandry can heal the blasting wound2 ,nor bladed grass1 nor bearded corn succeeds1 ,but scales of scurf and putrefaction breeds2 ,such wars1 such waste1 such fiery tracks of dearth ,their zeal has left1 and such a teemless earth4 ,but1 as the poisons of the deadliest kind ,are to their own unhappy coasts confined2 ,as only ,indian shades of sight deprive1 ,and magic plants will but in ,colchos thrive2 ,so presbytery and pestilential zeal ,can only flourish in a commonweal4 ,from ,celtic woods is chased the wolfish crew2#aji ,but ah6 some pity e'en to brutes is due2 ,their native walks1 methinks1 they might enjoy1 ,curbed of their native malice to destroy4 ,of all the tyrannies on human-kind1 ,the worst is that which persecutes the mind4 ,let us but weigh at what offence we strike2 ',tis but because we cannot think alike4 ,in punishing of this1 we overthrow ,the laws of nations and of nature too4 ,beasts are the subjects of tyrannic sway1 ,where still the stronger on the weaker prey2 ,man only of a softer mould is made1 ,not for his fellows' ruin1 but their aid2 ,created kind1 beneficent and free1 ,the noble image of the ,deity4 ,one portion of informing fire was given ,to brutes1 the inferior family of heaven4 ,the smith divine1 as with a careless beat1 ,struck out the mute creation at a heat2 ,but1 when arrived at last to human race1 ,the ,godhead took a deep considering space2 ,and1 to distinguish man from all the rest1 ,unlocked the sacred treasures of his breast2 ,and mercy mixt with reason did impart1 ,one to his head1 the other to his heart2 ,reason to rule1 but mercy to forgive2 ,the first is law1 the last prerogative4 ,and like his mind his outward form appeared1 ,when1 issuing naked to the wondering herd1 ,he charmed their eyes2 and1 for they loved1 they feared ,not armed with horns of arbitrary might1 ,or claws to seize their furry spoils in fight1 ,or with increase of feet to o'ertake them in their flight2 ,of easy shape1 and pliant every way1 ,confessing still the softness of his clay1 ,and kind as kings upon their coronation day2#aaj ,with open hands1 and with extended space ,of arms1 to satisfy a large embrace4 ,thus kneaded up with milk1 the new-made man ,his kingdom o'er his kindred world began2 ,till knowledge misapplied1 misunderstood1 ,and pride of empire1 soured his balmy blood4 ,then1 first rebelling1 his own stamp he coins2 ,the murderer ,cain was latent in his loins2 ,and blood began its first and loudest cry1 ,for differing worship of the ,deity4 ,thus persecution rose1 and farther space ,produced the mighty hunter#aaa of his race4 ,not so the blessed ,pan#aab his flock increased1 ,content to fold them from the famished beast3 ,mild were his laws2 the sheep and harmless hind ,were never of the persecuting kind4 ,such pity now the pious pastor shows1 ,such mercy from the ,british ,lion flows1#aac ,that both provide protection from their foes4 ,oh happy regions1 ,italy and ,spain1 ,which never did those monsters entertain6 ,the ,wolf1 the ,bear1 the ,boar1 can there advance ,no native claim of just inheritance2 ,and self-preserving laws1 severe in show1 ,may guard their fences from the invading foe4 ,where birth has placed them1 let them safely share ,the common benefit of vital air2 ,themselves unharmful1 let them live unharmed1 ,their jaws disabled1 and their claws disarmed2 ,here1 only in nocturnal howlings bold1 ,they dare not seize the ,hind1 nor leap the fold4 ,more powerful1 and as vigilant as they1 ,the ,lion awfully forbids the prey4 ,their rage repressed1 though pinched with famine sore1 ,they stand aloof1 and tremble at his roar2 ,much is their hunger1 but their fear is more4 ,these are the chief2 to number o'er the rest1 ,and stand1 like ,adam1 naming every beast1 ,were weary work2 nor will the muse describe ,a slimy-born and sun-begotten tribe2 ,who1 far from steeples and their sacred sound1 ,in fields their sullen conventicles found4#aad ,these gross1 half-animated1 lumps ,i leave2 ,nor can ,i think what thoughts they can conceive4 ,but if they think at all1 'tis sure no higher ,than matter1 put in motion1 may aspire2 ,souls that can scarce ferment their mass of clay2 ,so drossy1 so divisible are they1 ,as would but serve pure bodies for allay2 ,such souls as shards produce1 such beetle things ,as only buz to heaven with evening wings2 ,strike in the dark1 offending but by chance1 ,such are the blindfold blows of ignorance4 ,they know not beings1 and but hate a name2 ,to them the ,hind and ,panther are the same4 ,the ,panther1 sure the noblest1 next the ,hind1 ,and fairest creature of the spotted kind2 ,oh1 could her in-born stains be washed away1 ,she were too good to be a beast of prey6 ,how can ,i praise1 or blame1 and not offend1 ,or how divide the frailty from the friend8 ,her faults and virtues lie so mixed1 that she ,nor wholly stands condemned1 nor wholly free4 ,then1 like her injured ,lion1 let me speak2 ,he cannot bend her1 and he would not break4 ,unkind already1 and estranged in part1 ,the ,wolf begins to share her wandering heart4 ,though unpolluted yet with actual ill1 ,she half commits who sins but in her will4 ,if1 as our dreaming platonists report1 ,there could be spirits of a middle sort1 ,too black for heaven1 and yet too white for hell1 ,who just dropt half-way down1 nor lower fell2#aae ,so poised1 so gently she descends from high1 ,it seems a soft dismission from the sky4 ,her house not ancient1 whatsoe'er pretence ,her clergy-heralds make in her defence2 ,a second century not half-way run1 ,since the new honours of her blood begun4 ,a lion1 old1 obscene1 and furious made ,by lust1 compressed her mother in a shade2 ,then1 by a left-hand marriage1 weds the dame1 ,covering adultery with a specious name2#aaf ,so schism begot2 and sacrilege and she1 ,a well matched pair1 got graceless heresy4 ,god's and kings' rebels have the same good cause1 ,to trample down divine and human laws2 ,both would be called reformers1 and their hate ,alike destructive both to church and state4 ,the fruit proclaims the plant2 a lawless prince ,by luxury reformed incontinence2 ,by ruins1 charity2 by riots1 abstinence4 ,confessions1 fasts1 and penance set aside1 ,oh with what ease we follow such a guide1 ,where souls are starved1 and senses gratified6 ,where marriage-pleasures midnight prayer supply1 ,and mattin bells1 a melancholy cry1 ,are tuned to merrier notes1 ,increase and multiply4#aag ,religion shews a rosy-coloured face2 ,not hattered#aah out with drudging works of grace2 ,a down-hill reformation rolls apace4 ,what flesh and blood would crowd the narrow gate1 ,or1 till they waste their pampered paunches1 wait8 ,all would be happy at the cheapest rate4 ,though our lean faith these rigid laws has given1 ,the full-fed ,musselman goes fat to heaven2 ,for his ,arabian prophet with delights ,of sense allured his eastern proselytes4 ,the jolly ,luther1 reading him1 began ,to interpret scriptures by his alcoran2 ,to grub the thorns beneath our tender feet1 ,and make the paths of paradise more sweet1 ,bethought him of a wife1 ere half way gone1 ,for 'twas uneasy travelling alone2 ,and1 in this masquerade of mirth and love1 ,mistook the bliss of heaven for ,bacchanals above4 ,sure he presumed of praise1 who came to stock ,the etherial pastures with so fair a flock1 ,burnished1 and battening on their food1 to show ,their diligence of careful herds below4#aai ,our ,panther1 though like these she changed her head1 ,yet1 as the mistress of a monarch's bed1#abj ,her front erect with majesty she bore1 ,the crosier wielded1 and the mitre wore4 ,her upper part of decent discipline ,shewed affectation of an ancient line2 ,and fathers1 councils1 church and churches head1 ,were on her reverend phylacteries#aba read4 ,but what disgraced and disavowed the rest1 ,was ,calvin's brand1 that stigmatized the beast4 ,thus1 like a creature of a double kind1 ,in her own labyrinth she lives confined2 ,to foreign lands no sound of her is come1 ,humbly content to be despised at home4 ,such is her faith1 where good cannot be had1 ,at least she leaves the refuse of the bad3 ,nice in her choice of ill1 though not of best1 ,and least deformed1 because reformed the least4 ,in doubtful points betwixt her differing friends1 ,where one for substance1 one for sign contends1 ,their contradicting terms she strives to join2#abb ,sign shall be substance1 substance shall be sign4 ,a real presence all her sons allow1 ,and yet 'tis flat idolatry to bow1 ,because the god-head's there they know not how4 ,her novices are taught1 that bread and wine ,are but the visible and outward sign1 ,received by those who in communion join2 ,but the inward grace1 or the thing signified1 ,his blood and body1 who to save us died1#abc ,the faithful this thing signified receive3 ,what is't those faithful then partake or leave8 ,for1 what is signified and understood1 ,is1 by her own confession1 flesh and blood4 ,then1 by the same acknowledgment1 we know ,they take the sign1 and take the substance too4 ,the literal sense is hard to flesh and blood1 ,but nonsense never can be understood4 ,her wild belief on every wave is tost2 ,but sure no church can better morals boast4 ,true to her king her principles are found2 ,oh that her practice were but half so sound6#abd ,stedfast in various turns of state she stood1 ,and sealed her vowed affection with her blood3#abe ,nor will ,i meanly tax her constancy1 ,that interest or obligement made the tye1 ,bound to the fate of murdered monarchy4 ,before the sounding axe so falls the vine1 ,whose tender branches round the poplar twine4 ,she chose her ruin1 and resigned her life1 ,in death undaunted as an ,indian wife3 ,a rare example6 but some souls we see ,grow hard1 and stiffen with adversity3 ,yet these by fortune's favours are undone2 ,resolved1#abf into a baser form they run1 ,and bore the wind1 but cannot bear the sun4 ,let this be nature's frailty1 or her fate1 ,or ,isgrim's counsel1 her new-chosen mate1#abg ,still she's the fairest of the fallen crew2 ,no mother more indulgent1 but the true4 ,fierce to her foes1 yet fears her force to try1 ,because she wants innate authority2 ,for how can she constrain them to obey1 ,who has herself cast off the lawful sway8 ,rebellion equals all1 and those1 who toil ,in common theft1 will share the common spoil4 ,let her produce the title and the right1 ,against her old superiors first to fight2 ,if she reform by text1 even that's as plain ,for her own rebels to reform again4 ,as long as words a different sense will bear1 ,and each may be his own interpreter1 ,our airy faith will no foundation find1 ,the word's a weathercock for every wind3 ,the bear1 the fox1 the wolf1 by turns prevail2 ,the most in power supplies the present gale4 ,the wretched ,panther cries aloud for aid ,to church and councils1 whom she first betrayed2 ,no help from fathers or tradition's train3 ,those ancient guides she taught us to disdain1 ,and by that scripture1 which she once abused ,to reformation1 stands herself accused4#abh ,what bills for breach of laws can she prefer1 ,expounding which she owns herself may err8 ,and1 after all her winding ways are tried1 ,if doubts arise1 she slips herself aside1 ,and leaves the private conscience for the guide4 ,if1 then1 that conscience set the offender free1 ,it bars her claim to church authority4 ,how can she censure1 or what crime pretend1 ,but scripture may be construed to defend8 ,even those1 whom for rebellion she transmits ,to civil power1 her doctrine first acquits2 ,because no disobedience can ensue1 ,where no submission to a judge is due2 ,each judging for himself by her consent1 ,whom1 thus absolved1 she sends to punishment4 ,suppose the magistrate revenge her cause1 ',tis only for transgressing human laws4 ,how answering to its end a church is made1 ,whose power is but to counsel and persuade8 ,o solid rock1 on which secure she stands6 ,eternal house1 not built with mortal hands6 ,o sure defence against the infernal gate1 ,a patent during pleasure of the state6 ,thus is the ,panther neither loved nor feared1 ,a mere mock queen of a divided herd2 ,whom soon by lawful power she might controul1 ,herself a part submitted to the whole4 ,then1 as the moon who first receives the light ,by which she makes our nether regions bright1 ,so might she shine1 reflecting from afar ,the rays she borrowed from a better star2 ,big with the beams which from her mother flow1 ,and reigning o'er the rising tides below3#abi ,now1 mixing with a savage crowd1 she goes1 ,and meanly flatters her inveterate foes2 ,ruled while she rules1 and losing every hour ,her wretched remnants of precarious power4 ,one evening1 while the cooler shade she sought1 ,revolving many a melancholy thought1 ,alone she walked1 and looked around in vain1 ,with rueful visage1 for her vanished train3 ,none of her sylvan subjects made their court2 ,leves and couches passed without resort4 ,so hardly can usurpers manage well ,those1 whom they first instructed to rebel3 ,more liberty begets desire of more2 ,the hunger still increases with the store4 ,without respect1 they brushed along the wood1 ,each in his clan1 and1 filled with loathsome food1 ,asked no permission to the neighbouring flood4 ,the ,panther1 full of inward discontent1 ,since they would go1 before them wisely went2 ,supplying want of power by drinking first1 ,as if she gave them leave to quench their thirst4 ,among the rest1 the ,hind1 with fearful face1 ,beheld from far the common watering place1 ,nor durst approach2 till with an awful roar ,the sovereign ,lion bade her fear no more4#acj ,encouraged thus1 she brought her younglings nigh1 ,watching the motions of her patron's eye1 ,and drank a sober draught2 the rest1 amazed1 ,stood mutely still1 and on the stranger gazed2 ,surveyed her part by part1 and sought to find ,the ten-horned monster in the harmless ,hind1 ,such as the ,wolf and ,panther had designed4#aca ,they thought at first they dreamed2 for 'twas offence ,with them1 to question certitude of sense1 ,their guide in faith3 but nearer when they drew1 ,and had the faultless object full in view1 ,lord1 how they all admired her heavenly hue6 ,some1 who1 before1 her fellowship disdained1 ,scarce1 and but scarce1 from in-born rage restrained1 ,now frisked about her1 and old kindred feigned4 ,whether for love or interest1 every sect ,of all the savage nation shewed respect4 ,the viceroy ,panther could not awe the herd2 ,the more the company1 the less they feared4 ,the surly ,wolf with secret envy burst1 ,yet could not howl2 7the ,hind had seen him first27#acb ,but what he durst not speak1 the ,panther durst4 ,for when the herd1 sufficed1 did late repair ,to ferny heaths1 and to their forest lair1 ,she made a mannerly excuse to stay1 ,proffering the ,hind to wait her half the way2 ,that1 since the sky was clear1 an hour of talk ,might help her to beguile the tedious walk4 ,with much good-will the motion was embraced1 ,to chat a while on their adventures passed2 ,nor had the grateful ,hind so soon forgot ,her friend and fellow-sufferer in the plot4#acc ,yet wondering how of late she grew estranged1 ,her forehead cloudy1 and her countenance changed1 ,she thought this hour the occasion would present1 ,to learn her secret cause of discontent2 ,which well she hoped1 might be with ease redressed1 ,considering her a well-bred civil beast1 ,and more a gentlewoman than the rest4 ,after some common talk what rumours ran1 ,the lady of the spotted muff began4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ie3 ,the ,roman ,catholic church4 ,footnote #if3 ,note ,i4 ,footnote #ig3 ,the ,roman ,catholic priests executed in ,england1 at different times since the ,reformation1 and regarded as martyrs and saints by those of their communion4 ,footnote #ih3 ,the ,independents4 ,see ,note ,,ii4 ,footnote #ii3 ,the ,quakers4 ,see ,note ,,iii4 ,footnote #ajj3 ,free-thinkers4 ,see ,note ,,iv4 ,footnote #aja3 ,anabaptists4 ,see ,note ,v4 ,footnote #ajb3 ,unitarians4 ,see ,note ,,vi4 ,footnote #ajc3 ,see ,introductory remarks4 ,footnote #ajd3 ,note ,,vii4 ,footnote #aje3 ,quasi ,by-land-er1 an old word for a boat1 used in coast navigation4 ,footnote #ajf3 ,note ,,viii4 ,footnote #ajg3 ,alluding to the classical ordination1 which the ,presbyterian church has adopted1 instead of that by ,bishops4 ,footnote #ajh3 ,geneva1 the cradle of ,calvinism4 ,the territories of the little republic1 dum ,troja fuit1 were bounded by its ramparts and lake4 ,footnote #aji3 ,alluding to the recall of the ,edict of ,nantz1 and persecution of the ,huguenots4 ,see ,note ,,ix4 ,footnote #aaj3 ,which is usually distinguished by an act of grace1 or general pardon4 ,footnote #aaa3 ,nimrod4 ,footnote #aab3 ,jesus ,christ4 ,footnote #aac3 ,king ,james ,,ii4 ,footnote #aad3 ,note ,x4 ,footnote #aae3 ,our author recollected his own ,philidel in ,king ,arthur3 ,an airy shape1 the tenderest of my kind1 ,the last seduced and least deformed of hell2 ,half-white1 and shuffled in the crowd ,i fell1 ,desirous to repent and loath to sin1 ,awkward in mischief1 piteous of mankind2 ,my name is ,philidel1 my lot in air1 ,where1 next beneath the moon1 and nearest heaven1 ,i soar1 ,i have a glimpse to be received4 ,vol4 ,,viii4 p4 #ace4 ,footnote #aaf3 ,henry the ,eighth's passion for ,anna ,bullen led the way to the ,reformation4 ,footnote #aag3 ,the marriage of the clergy1 licensed by the ,reformation4 ,footnote #aah3 ,worn out1 or become hagard4 ,footnote #aai3 ,a ,popish advocate1 in the controversy with ,tennison1 tells us exultingly1 ,that ,martin ,luther himself1 ,dr ,t's excellent instrument1 after he had eat a feasting supper1 and drank lutheranice1 as the ,german proverb has it1 was called into another world at two o'clock in the night1 ,february #ah1 #aedf4 ,this was one of the reasons why his adversaries alleged1 that ,martin ,luther set sail for hell in the manner described by ,sterne1 in his tale from ,slawkenbergius4 ,footnote #abj3 ,the king being owned the head of the church of ,england1 contrary to the doctrine of the other reformed churches4 ,footnote #aba3 ,phylacteries are little scrolls of parchment worn by the ,jews on their foreheads and wrists1 inscribed with sentences from the law4 ,they are supposed1 as is expressed by the phrase in the original1 to have the virtue of preserving the wearer from danger and evil4 ,footnote #abb3 ,the ,lutherans adopt the doctrine of consubstantiation2 that is to say1 they believe1 that1 though the elements are not changed into the body and blood of ,christ by consecration1 which is the ,roman faith1 yet the participants1 at the moment of communicating1 do actually receive the real body and blood4 ,the ,calvinists utterly deny the real presence in the eucharist1 and affirm1 that the words of ,christ were only symbolical4 ,the church of ,england announces a doctrine somewhat between these4 ,see ,note ,,xi4 ,footnote #abc3 ,note ,,xi4 ,footnote #abd3 ,note ,,xii4 ,footnote #abe3 ,alluding to the fate of the church and monarchy of ,england1 which fell together in the great rebellion4 ,see ,note ,,xi4 ,footnote #abf3 ,resolved1 i4e4 dissolved4 ,footnote #abg3 ,the ,wolf1 or ,presbytery4--,see note ,,xiii4 ,footnote #abh3 ,note ,,xiv4 ,footnote #abi3 ,that is1 if the church of ,england would be reconciled to ,rome1 she should be gratified with a delegated portion of innate authority over the rival sectaries2 instead of being obliged to depend upon the civil power for protection4 ,footnote #acj3 ,alluding to the exercise of the dispensing power1 and the ,declaration of ,indulgence4 ,footnote #aca3 ,the ten-horned monster1 in the ,revelations1 was usually explained by the reformers as typical of the church of ,rome4 ,footnote #acb3 ,there was a classical superstition1 that1 if a wolf saw a man before he saw the wolf1 the person lost his voice3 ----voxque ,mrin ,jam fugit ipsa3 lupi ,mrin videre priores4 ,dryden has adopted1 in the text1 the converse of this superstitious belief4 ,footnote #acc3 ,although the ,roman ,catholic plot was made the pretence of persecuting the ,papists in the first instance1 yet the high-flying party of the ,church of ,england were also levelled at1 and accused of being ,tantivies1 ,papists in masquerade1 c4 c4 ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,,part ,i4 ,note ,i4 ,and doomed to death1 though fated not to die4--,p4 #aai4 ,the critics fastened on this line with great exultation1 concluding1 that doomed and fated mean precisely the same thing4 ,faith1 ,mr ,bayes1 says one of these gentlemen1 if you were doomed to be hanged1 whatever you were fated to 'twould give you but small comfort4#acd ,this criticism is quite erroneous2 doom1 in its general acceptation1 meaning merely a sentence of any kind1 the pronouncing which by no means necessarily implies its execution4 ,in the criminal courts of ,scotland1 the sentence is always concluded with this formula1 and this ,i pronounce for doom4 ,till of late years1 a special officer recited the sentence after the judge1 and was thence called the doomster1#ace an office now performed by the clerk of court4 ,the criticism is founded on the word doom having been often1 and even generally1 used as synonimous to the sentence of heaven1 and therefore inevitable4 ,but in the text1 it is obvious that the doom1 or sentence1 of an earthly tribunal is placed in opposition to the decree of ,providence4 ,note ,,ii4 ,the bloody ,bear1 an independent beast1 ,unlicked to forms1 c4--,p4 #abj4 ,the sect of ,independents arose to great eminence in the civil wars1 when the enthusiastic spirits were deemed entitled to preferment upon earth1 in proportion to the extravagance of their religious zeal4 ,hume has admirably described their leading tenets1 or rather the scorn with which they discarded the principles of other religious sects2 for their peculiarities consisted much more in their neglect and contempt of all forms1 than in any rules or dogmata of their own4 ,the ,independents rejected all ecclesiastical establishments1 and would admit of no spiritual courts1 no government among pastors1 no interposition of the magistrate in religious concerns1 no fixed encouragement annexed to any system of doctrines or opinions4 ,according to their principles1 each congregation1 united voluntarily and by spiritual ties1 composed1 within itself1 a separate church1 and exercised a jurisdiction1 but one destitute of temporal sanctions1 over its own pastor and its own members4 ,the election alone of the congregation was sufficient to bestow the sacerdotal character2 and1 as all essential distinction was denied between the laity and the clergy1 no ceremony1 no institution1 no vocation1 no imposition of hands1 was1 as in all other churches1 supposed requisite to convey a right to holy orders4 ,the enthusiasm of the ,presbyterians led them to reject the authority of prelates1 to throw off the restraint of liturgies1 to retrench ceremonies1 to limit the riches and authority of the priestly office4 ,the fanaticism of the ,independents1 exalted to a higher pitch1 abolished ecclesiastical government1 disdained creeds and systems1 neglected every ceremony1 and confounded all ranks and orders4 ,the soldier1 the merchant1 the mechanic1 indulging the fervours of zeal1 and guided by the illapses of the spirit1 resigned himself to an inward and superior direction1 and was consecrated1 in a manner1 by an immediate intercourse and communication with heaven4 ,butler thus describes the ,independents3 ,the ,independents1 whose first station ,was in the rear of reformation3 ,a mongrel kind of church dragoons1 ,that served for horse and foot at once1 ,and in the saddle of one steed1 ,the ,saracen and ,christian rid1 ,were free of every spiritual order1 ,to preach1 and fight1 and pray1 and murder4 ,it is well known1 that these sectaries obtained the final ascendancy in the civil wars4 ,cromwell1 their chief1 was highly gifted as a preacher as well as a warrior2 witness his learned1 devout1 and conscientious exercise1 held at ,sir ,peter ,temple's1 in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 upon ,romans xiii4 #a4 ,note ,,iii4 ,among the timorous kind1 the quaking ,hare ,professed neutrality1 but would not swear4--,p4 #abj4 ,as ,mr ,hume's account of the rise of this sect 7the quakers7 is uncommonly lively1 ,i take the liberty to insert it at length2 though1 perhaps1 the passage does not call for so prolonged a quotation4 ,after describing the ascetic solitude of ,george ,fox1 their founder1 he proceeds3 ,when he had been sufficiently consecrated1 in his own imagination1 he felt that the fumes of self-applause soon dissipate1 if not continually supplied by the admiration of others2 and he began to seek proselytes4 ,proselytes were easily gained1 at a time when all men's affections were turned towards religion1 and when extravagant modes of it were sure to be most popular4 ,all the forms of ceremony1 invented by pride and ostentation1 ,fox and his disciples1 from a superior pride and ostentation1 carefully rejected3 ,even the ordinary rites of civility were shunned1 as the nourishment of carnal vanity and self-conceit4 ,they would bestow no titles of distinction3 ,the name of friend was the only salutation with which they indiscriminately accosted every one4 ,to no person would they make a bow1 or move their hat1 or give any signs of reverence4 ,instead of that affected adulation introduced into modern tongues1 of speaking to individuals as if they were a multitude1 they returned to the simplicity of ancient languages2 and thou and thee were the only expressions which1 on any consideration1 they would be brought to employ4 ,dress too1 a material circumstance1 distinguished the members of this sect4 ,every superfluity and ornament was carefully retrenched3 ,no plaits to their coat1 no buttons to their sleeves3 ,no lace1 no ruffles1 no embroidery4 ,even a button to the hat1 though sometimes useful1 yet not being always so1 was universally rejected by them with horror and detestation4 ,the violent enthusiasm of this sect1 like all high passions1 being too strong for the weak nerves to sustain1 threw the preachers into convulsions1 and shakings1 and distortions in their limbs2 and they thence received the appellation of ,quakers4 ,amidst the great toleration which was then granted to all sects1 and even encouragement given to all innovations1 this sect alone suffered persecution4 ,from the fervour of their zeal1 the quakers broke into churches1 disturbed public worship1 and harrassed the minister and audience with railing and reproaches4 ,when carried before a magistrate1 they refused him all reverence1 and treated him with the same familiarity as if he had been their equal4 ,sometimes they were thrown into mad-houses1 sometimes into prisons3 ,sometimes whipped1 sometimes pilloried4 ,the patience and fortitude with which they suffered1 begat compassion1 admiration1 esteem4 ,a supernatural spirit was believed to support them under those sufferings1 which the ordinary state of humanity1 freed from the illusions of passion1 is unable to sustain4 ,the quakers creep'd into the army3 ,but1 as they preached universal peace1 they seduced the military zealots from their profession1 and would soon1 had they been suffered1 have put an end1 without any defeat or calamity1 to the dominion of the saints4 ,these attempts became a fresh ground for persecution1 and a new reason for their progress among the people4 ,morals1 with this sect1 were carried1 or affected to be carried1 to the same degree of extravagance as religion4 ,give a quaker a blow on one cheek1 he held up the other3 ,ask his cloke1 he gave you his coat also4 ,the greatest interest could not engage him in any court of judicature1 to swear even to the truth4 ,he never asked more for his wares than the precise sum which he was determined to accept4 ,this last maxim is laudable1 and continues still to be religiously observed by that sect4 ,no fanatics ever carried farther the hatred to ceremonies1 forms1 orders1 rites1 and positive institutions4 ,even baptism and the ,lord's supper1 by all other sects believed to be interwoven with the very vitals of ,christianity1 were disdainfully rejected by them4 ,the very ,sabbath they profaned4 ,the holiness of churches they derided2 and they would give to these sacred edifices no other appellation than that of shops1 or steeple-houses4 ,no priests were admitted in their sects3 ,every one had received1 from immediate illumination1 a character much superior to the sacerdotal4 ,when they met for divine worship1 each rose up in his place1 and delivered the extemporary inspirations of the ,holy ,ghost3 ,women were also admitted to teach the brethren1 and were considered as proper vehicles to convey the dictates of the spirit4 ,sometimes a great many preachers were moved to speak at once3 ,sometimes a total silence prevailed in their congregation4 ,some quakers attempted to fast forty days in imitation of ,christ2 and one of them bravely perished in the experiment4 ,a female quaker came naked into the church where the protector sat2 being moved by the spirit1 as she said1 to appear as a sign to the people4 ,a number of them fancied1 that the renovation of all things had commenced1 and that clothes were to be rejected1 together with other superfluities4--,the sufferings which followed the practice of this doctrine1 were a species of persecution not well calculated for promoting it4 ,the quakers were particularly favoured by ,james ,,ii41 owing to the interest which ,penn1 the settler of ,pennsylvania1 had with that monarch4 ,that person took a lead in the controversy concerning the ,indulgence1 by publishing a pamphlet1 entitled1 ,good ,advice to the ,church of ,england4 ,note ,,iv4 ,next her1 the buffoon ,ape1 as atheists use1 ,mimicked all sects1 and had his own to chuse2 ,still1 when the ,lion looked1 his knees he bent1 ,and paid at church a courtier's compliment4--,p4 #abj4 ,the sect of free-thinkers1 who professed a disbelief in revealed religion1 was to be found even among the fanatical ranks of the ,long ,parliament4 ,harvey1 ,martin1 ,sidney1 and others1 were considered as the chiefs of this little party4 ,after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 these loose principles became prevalent among his gay courtiers1 and were supposed to have been privately adopted by the king himself1 who was educated by the sceptic ,hobbes4 ,as the free-thinkers taught a total disbelief of revelation1 and indifference for religious forms1 they left their disciples at liberty occasionally to conform to whatever creed1 or form of worship1 might appear most conducive to their temporal interests4 ,sunderland was supposed to belong to this sect1 for he made his change to ,popery1 without even the form of previous instruction or conference2 evincing to the whole world1 that1 being totally indifferent about all religions1 he was ready to embrace any that would best serve his immediate views4 ,this statesman's character1 as a latitudinarian in religion1 is mentioned with great bitterness by the ,princess ,anne1 afterwards queen1 in her private correspondence with her sister1 the ,princess of ,orange4--,see ,dalrymple's ,memoirs1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #afi4 #hvo4 edit4 ,dryden probably intended a sarcasm at ,sunderland1 or some such time-serving courtier1 for his occasional conformity with the royal faith1 of which there were several instances at the time4 ,these persons1 as they attended ,james to mass1 were compared to ,naaman1 who1 on adopting the ,jewish religion1 craved an indulgence for waiting upon his master to the house of the idol ,rimmon4 ,it is hinted in ,the ,hind and ,panther ,transversed1 that ,dryden's satire is personal2 for he is made to quote the lines1 and to add1 by way of commentary1 ,that galls somewhere6 ,egad1 ,i cannot leave it off1 though ,i were cudgelled every day for it4 ,the church party1 among other pamphlets intended to ridicule the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 and as a parody of the addresses of the dissenters on that occasion1 published1 ,to the ,king's ,most ,excellent ,majesty1 the ,humble ,address of the ,atheists1 or the ,sect of ,epicureans4 ,after congratulating the king on having freed his subjects from the solemn superstition of oaths1 they proceed3 ,your majesty was pleased to wish1 that all your subjects were of your own religion2 and perhaps every division wishes you were of theirs2 but1 for our parts1 we freely declare1 that if ever we should be obliged to profess any religion1 we would prefer the ,church of ,rome1 which does not much trouble the world with the affairs of invisible beings1 and is very civil and indulgent to the failings of human nature4 ,that church can ease us from the grave fatigues of religion1 and1 for our monies1 allow us proxies1 both for piety and penances3 ,we can easily swallow and digest a wafer deity1 and will never cavil at the mass in an unknown tongue1 when the sacrifice itself is so unintelligible4 ,we shall never scruple the adoration of an image1 when the chiefest religion is but imagination2 and we are willing to allow the ,pope an absolute power to dispense with all penal laws1 in this world and in another4 ,but before we return to ,rome1 the greatest origin of atheism1 we wish the ,pope1 and all his vassal princes1 would free the world from the fear of hell and devils1 the inquisition and dragoons1 and that he would take off the chimney-money of purgatory1 and custom and excise of pardons and indulgencies1 which are so much inconsistent with the flourishing trade and grandeur of the nation4 ,as for the engagements of lives and fortunes1 the common compliment of addressers1 we confess we have a more peculiar tenderness for those most sacred concernments2 but yet we will hazard them in defence of your majesty1 with as much constancy and resolution as your majesty will defend your indulgence2 that is1 so far as the adventure will serve our designs and interest4 ,from the ,devil-,tavern1 the #eth of ,november1 #afhh4 ,presented by ,justice ,baldock1 and was graciously received4 ,note ,v4 ,the bristled baptist ,boar1 impure as he1 ,but whitened with the foam of sanctity1 ,with fat pollutions filled the sacred place1 ,and mountains levelled in his furious race2 ,so first rebellion founded was in grace4 ,but since the mighty ravage1 which he made ,in ,german forests1 had his guilt betrayed1 ,with broken tusks1 and with a borrowed name1 ,he shunned the vengeance1 and concealed the shame4 ,p4 #abj4 ,the sect of ,anabaptists1 whose principal tenet is the disallowing of infant baptism1 arose in ,germany and the ,low ,countries about the year #aeba4 ,this new light1 for such it was esteemed1 happened unfortunately to appear to some of the most ignorant and ferocious of the ,low ,german burghers and boors4 ,thomas ,muncer1 by birth a ,saxon1 was the principal apostle of this sect4 ,he preached both against the ,papists and ,luther1 recommending the eschewing of open crimes1 the chastening of the body by severities of abstinence1 and the wearing a long beard4 ,with these tenets1 he combined that of an immediate intercourse with ,god1 by demanding of him signs and tokens1 which would be infallibly granted1 and that of an universal community of goods4 ,these two last doctrines1 concerning spiritual and temporal matters1 were admirably calculated to turn the heads of his followers4 ,being banished from ,saxony1 he seized upon the monastery of ,muhlhans1 from which he expelled the monks2 and afterwards made a convert of one ,pfeifer1 a daring enthusiast1 who1 because in a dream he had put to flight an innumerable number of mice1 made no doubt he was destined to vanquish all principalities and powers4 ,muncer easily prevailed on this visionary conqueror to head the miners of the country of ,mansfeldt1 in some ferocious inroads into ,saxony4 ,the ,dukes of ,saxony and ,brunswick1 the ,landgrave of ,hesse1 and other ,german princes1 marched against these madmen1 whom ,muncer stimulated to resistance1 by assuring them1 that a rainbow1 which happened then to be visible1 was an indubitable sign of victory4 ,the poor deluded wretches accordingly suffered themselves to be quietly cut to pieces1 with their eyes fixed on the heavenly sign1 in expectation of divine assistance4 ,muncer was made prisoner1 and recanted before his death1 only blaming the princes for their cruelty and oppression to their vassals1 which drove them to desperation2--so1 if he lived a false prophet1 he died a true preacher4 ,his death1 and that of ,pfeifer1 with the slaughter made among their followers1 did not extirpate the heresy2 and the most dreadful consequences attended1 for some time1 the progress of these enthusiastic opinions4 ,a tailor1 called ,bockholdt1 better known by the name of ,john of ,leyden1 with his associates1 ,rotman1 ,matthews1 and ,cnipperdoling1 in #aece1 actually possessed themselves of the city of ,munster1 expelled the bishop1 and commenced the reign of the saints4 ,their leader1 under the strange and horrible delusion that he was inspired by the ,holy ,ghost1 played the most outrageous pranks of lust and cruelty that ever madness dictated3 ,yet1 amidst their frenzy1 the ,anabaptists had valour and conduct sufficient to defend the city for a length of time against the bishop and his allies2 and while the unfortunate inhabitants were in the utmost misery1 the enthusiasts themselves revelled in the indulgence of every licentious appetite4 ,at length the city was taken1 and a cruel1 though deserved punishment1 inflicted upon those who had been the leaders in this holy warfare4 ,john of ,leyden himself was torn to pieces with hot pincers4 ,after this memorable event1 those who retained the principles of this sect were not desirous of being distinguished by a name which the excesses of these fanatics had rendered an abomination to all the ,christian world4 ,they were generally confounded with the ,independents1 with whom they hold many principles in common1 particularly1 ,i believe1 the disavowal of any clerical order4 ,yet if1 for a time1 they lurked in sects unseen1 as ,dryden assures us1 the sunshine of general toleration soon brought them out under their own proper appellation4 ,we have1 among the addresses of various classes of dissenters upon the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 that of the ,anabaptists in and about the city of ,london1 who1 indeed1 were the very first in expressing their thanks and loyalty4 ,the ,anabaptists of ,leicestershire1 the ,independents and ,baptists of ,gloucester1 the ,anabaptists of ,cheshire1 ,shropshire1 and ,staffordshire1 c4 c4 c4 all came forward with loyal acclamations on the same occasion4 ,note ,,vi4 ----,with greater guile ,false ,reynard fed on consecrated spoil2 ,the graceless beast by ,athanasius first ,was chased from ,nice1 then by ,socinus nursed4--,p4 #aba4 ,arius1 the propagator of a great heresy in the ,christian church1 denied that ,god the ,son was equal to ,god the ,father1 or that he was co-existent with him4 ,see page #af4 ,this doctrine he maintained in the council at ,nice against ,athanasius1 the champion of orthodoxy2 and although his doctrines were condemned by the general council1 and he himself banished1 yet his party was so powerful as to accomplish his restoration1 and the banishment of ,athanasius1 who fled into the ,thebais1 or deserts of ,upper ,egypt4 ,the schism thus occasioned1 continued long to divide the ,christian church4 ,lelius ,socinus1 a nobleman of ,sienna1 revived and enlarged the doctrine of ,arius1 about the latter end of the sixteenth century4 ,his nephew ,faustus collected1 arranged1 and published his opinions1 which have since had many followers4 ,the ,socinians teach the worship of one ,god1 without distinction of persons2 affirming1 that the ,holy ,ghost is but another expression for the power of ,god2 and that ,jesus ,christ is only the ,son of ,god by adoption4 ,as they deny our ,saviour's divinity1 they disavow1 of course1 the doctrine of redemption1 and consider him only as a prophet1 gifted with a more than usual share of inspiration1 and sealing his mission by his blood4 ,this heresy has1 at different times1 and under various disguises and modifications1 insinuated itself into the ,christian church1 forming1 as it were1 a resting place1 though but a tottering one1 between natural and revealed religion4 ,here1 ,i fear1 the author's lines apply3 ,to take up half on trust1 and half to try1 ,name it not faith1 but bungling bigotry2 ,both knave and fool the merchant we may call1 ,to pay great sums1 and to compound the small2 ,for who would break with heaven1 and would not break for all8 ,this heretical belief was adopted by the ,protestants of ,poland and of ,hungary1 especially those who were about this time in arms under ,count ,teckeli against the emperor4 ,hence ,dryden bids the ,fox1 ,unkennelled1 range in thy ,polonian plains4 ,note ,,vii4 ,let them declare by what mysterious arts ,he shot that body through the opposing might1 ,of bolts and bars1 impervious to the light1 ,and stood before his train confessed in open sight4--,p4 #abb4 ,then the same day1 at evening1 being the first day of the week1 when the doors were shut1 where the disciples were assembled for fear of the ,jews1 came ,jesus1 and stood in the midst1 and saith unto them1 ,peace be unto you4 ,again1 ,and after eight days1 again his disciples were within1 and ,thomas with them2 then came ,jesus1 the doors being shut1 and stood in the midst1 and said1 ,peace be unto you4--,the ,gospel of ,st ,john1 chap4 xx4 verses #ai4 #bf4 ,from these passages of ,scripture1 ,dryden endeavours to confute the objection to transubstantiation1 founded on the host being consecrated in various places at the same time1 in each of which1 however1 the body of ,christ becomes present1 according to the ,papist doctrine4 ,this being predicated of the real body of our ,saviour1 the ,protestants allege is impossible1 as matter can only be in one place at the same time4 ,dryden1 in answer1 assumes1 that ,christ entered into the meeting of the disciples1 by actually passing through the closed doors of the apartment2 and as1 at the moment of such passage1 two bodies must have been in the same place at the same instant1 the body of ,jesus namely1 and the substance through which he passed1 the poet founds on it as an instance of a transgression of a natural law1 proved from ,scripture1 as violent as that of one body being in several different places at once4 ,but the text does not prove the major part of ,dryden's proposition2 it is not stated positively by the evangelist1 that our ,saviour passed through the doors which were shut1 but merely that he came and stood among his disciples without the doors being opened2 which miraculous appearance might take place many ways besides that on which ,dryden has fixed for the foundation of his argument4 ,note ,,viii4 ,more haughty than the rest1 the ,wolfish race ,appears with belly gaunt1 and famished face2 ,never was so deformed a beast of grace4 ,his ragged tail betwixt his legs he wears1 ,close clapped for shame2 but his rough crest he rears1 ,and pricks up his predestinating ears4--,p4 #abd4 ,the personal appearance of the ,presbyterian clergy was suited by an affectation of extreme plainness and rigour of appearance4 ,a ,geneva cloak and band1 with the hair close cropped1 and covered with a sort of black scull-cap1 was the discriminating attire of their teachers4 ,this last article of dress occasioned an unseemly projection of their ears1 and procured those who affected it the nick-name of prick-eared fanatics1 and the still better known appellation of ,round-heads4 ,our author proceeds1 with great bitterness1 to investigate the origin of ,calvinism4 ,his account of the rise and destruction of a sect of heretics in ,cambria may be understood to refer to the ancient ,british church1 which disowned the supremacy of the see of ,rome1 refused to adopt her ritual1 and opposed ,st ,augustin's claims to be metropolitan of ,britain1 in virtue of ,pope ,gregory's appointment4 ,they held two conferences with ,augustin2 at one of which he pretended to work a miracle by the cure of a blind man2 at the second1 seven ,british bishops1 and a numerous deputation from the monastery of ,bangor1 disputed with ,augustin1 who denounced vengeance against them by the sword of the ,saxons1 in case they refused to submit to the see of ,rome4 ,his prophecy1 which had as little effect upon the ,welch clergy as his miracle1 was shortly afterwards accomplished3 ,for ,ethelfred1 the ,saxon king of ,northumberland1 having defeated the ,british under the walls of ,chester1 cut to pieces no fewer than twelve hundred of the monks of ,bangor1 who had come to assist their countrymen with their prayers4 ,our author alludes to this extermination of the ,british recusant clergy1 by comparing it to the census1 or tribute of wolves-heads1 imposed on the ,cambrian kings4 ,it has been surmised by some authors1 that ,augustin himself instigated this massacre1 and thereby contributed to the accomplishment of his own prophecy4 ,other authorities say1 that he died in #fjd1 and that the monks of ,bangor were slain in #fac4 ,perhaps1 however1 our author did not mean to carry the rise of ,presbytery so far back1 but only referred to the doctrines of ,wiccliff1 who1 in the reign of ,edward ,,iii41 and his successor ,richard ,,ii41 taught publicly at ,oxford several doctrines inconsistent with the supremacy of the ,pope1 and otherwise repugnant to the doctrines of the ,roman church4 ,he was protected during his lifetime by ,john of ,gaunt2 but1 forty years after his death1 his bones were dug up and burned for heresy4 ,his followers were called ,lollards1 and were persecuted with great severity in the reign of ,henry ,v41 ,lord ,cobham and many others being burned to death4 ,thinking1 perhaps1 either of these too honourable and ancient a descent for the ,english ,presbyterians1 our author next refers to ,heylin1 who brings them from ,geneva1#acf where the reformed doctrine was taught by the well known ,zuinglius1 and the still more famous ,calvin4 ,the former began to preach the ,reformation at ,zurich about #aeah1 and disputed publicly with one ,sampson1 a friar1 whom the ,pope had sent thither to distribute indulgences4 ,zuinglius was persecuted by the bishop of ,constance2 but1 being protected by the magistrates of ,zurich1 he set him at defiance1 and in #aebc held an open disputation before the senate1 with such success1 that they commanded the traditions of the church to be thrown aside1 and the gospel to be taught through all their canton4 ,zuinglius1 in some respects1 merited the epithet of fiery1 which ,dryden has given him2 he was an ardent lover of liberty1 and dissuaded his countrymen from a league with the ,french1 by which it must have been endangered2 he vindicated1 from ,scripture1 the doctrine of resisting oppressors and asserting liberty1 of which he said ,god was the author1 and would be the defender2#acg and1 finally1 he was killed in battle between the inhabitants of ,zurich and those of the five small cantons4 ,the conquerors1 being ,catholics1 treated his dead body with the most shameless indignity4 ,the history of ,calvin is too well known to need recital in this place4 ,he was expelled from ,france1 his native country1 on account of his having adopted the doctrines of the reformers1 and1 taking refuge in ,geneva1 was appointed professor of divinity there in #aecf4 ,but being afterwards obliged to retire from thence1 on account of a quarrel about the administration of the communion to certain individuals1 ,calvin taught a ,french congregation at ,strasburgh4 ,he may be considered as the founder of the ,presbyterian doctrine1 differing from that of ,luther in denying consubstantiation1 and affirming1 in a large extent1 the doctrine of predestination1 founded upon election to grace4 ,the poet proceeds to describe the progress of this sect3 ,with teeth untried1 and rudiments of claws1 ,your first essay was on your native laws2 ,those having torn with ease1 and trampled down1 ,your fangs you fastened on the mitred crown1 ,and freed from ,god and monarchy your town4 ,what though your native kennel still be small1 ,bounded betwixt a puddle and a wall2 ,yet your victorious colonies are sent ,where the north ocean girds the continent4 ,quickened with fire below1 your monsters breed ,in fenny ,holland1 and in fruitful ,tweed2 ,and like the first the last affects to be1 ,drawn to the dregs of a democracy4 ,the citizens of ,geneva1 before they adopted the reformed religion1 were under the temporal1 as well as the ecclesiastical1 authority of a bishop4 ,but1 in #aebh1 when they followed the example of the city of ,berne1 in destroying images1 and abolishing the ,roman ceremonies1 the bishop and his clergy were expelled from the city1 which from that time was considered as the cradle of ,presbytery4 ,as they had made choice of a republican form of government for their little state1 our author infers1 that democracy is most congenial to their new form of religion4 ,it is no doubt true1 that the ,presbyterian church government is most purely democratical2 which perhaps recommended it in ,holland4 ,it is also true1 that the ,presbyterian divines have always preached1 and their followers practised1 the doctrine of resistance to oppression1 whether affecting civil or religious liberty4 ,but if ,dryden had looked to his own times1 he would have seen1 that the ,scottish ,presbyterians made a very decided stand for monarchy after the death of ,charles ,i42 and even such as were engaged in the conspiracy of ,baillie of ,jerviswood1 which was in some respects the counter-part of the ,ryehouse-plot1 refused to take arms1 because they suspected that the intentions of ,sidney1 and others of the party in ,england1 were to establish a commonwealth4 ,i may add1 that1 in latter times1 no body of men have shewn themselves more attached to the king and constitution than the ,presbyterian clergy of ,scotland4 ,there is room for criticism also in the poetry of these lines4 ,i question whether fenny ,holland and fruitful ,tweed1 in other words1 a marsh and a river1 could form a favourable medium for communicating the influence of the quickening fire below4 ,note ,,ix4 ,from ,celtic woods is chased the wolfish crew2 ,but ah6 some pity e'en to brutes is due2 ,their native walks1 methinks1 they might enjoy1 ,curbed of their native malice to destroy4--,p4 #abf4 ,it is remarkable how readily sentiments of toleration occur1 even to the professors of the most intolerant religion1 when their minds have fair play to attend to them4 ,the edict of ,nantes1 by which ,henry ,,iv4 secured to his ,huguenot subjects the undisturbed exercise of their religion1 was the recompense of the great obligations he owed to them1 and a sort of compensation for his having preferred power to conscience2 an edict1 declared unalterable1 and which had even been sanctioned by ,louis ,,xiv4 himself1 so late as #afhj1 was1 in #afhe1 finally abrogated4 ,the violence with which the persecution of the ,protestants was then pushed on1 almost exceeds belief4 ,the principal and least violent mode of conversion1 adopted by the king and his minister ,louvois1 was by quartering upon those of the reformed religion large parties of soldiers1 who were licenced to commit every outrage in their habitations short of rape and murder4 ,when1 by this species of persecution1 a ,huguenot had been once compelled to hear mass1 he was afterwards treated as a relapsed heretic1 if he shewed the slightest disposition to resume the religion in which he had been brought up4 ,james ,,ii41 in two letters to the ,prince of ,orange1 beseeching toleration for the regular priests in ,holland1 fails not to condemn the conduct of ,louis towards his ,protestant subjects2 yet1 with gross inconsistency1 or the deepest dissimulation1 he was at the same time congratulating ,barillon on his ,most ,christian ,majesty's care for the conversion of his subjects1 and hoping ,god would grant him the favour of completing so great a work4#ach ,and just so our author1 after blaming the persecution of the ,huguenots1 congratulates ,italy and ,spain upon possessing such just and excellent laws1 as the rules of the inquisitorial church courts4 ,note ,x4 ,a slimy-born and sun-begotten tribe1 ,who far from steeples1 and their sacred sound1 ,in fields their sullen conventicles found4--,p4 #abi4 ,the dregs of the fanaticism of the last age fermented1 during that of ,charles ,,ii41 into various sects of sullen enthusiasts1 who distinguished themselves by the different names of ,brownists1 ,families of ,love1 c4 c4 ,in many cases they rejected all the usual aids of devotion1 and1 holding their meetings in the open air1 and in solitary spots1 nursed their fanaticism by separating themselves from the more rational part of mankind4 ,dryden has elsewhere described them with equal severity2 ,a numerous host of dreaming saints succeed1 ,of the true old enthusiastic breed2 ',gainst form and order they their powers employ1 ,nothing to build1 and all things to destroy4 ,in ,scotland1 large conventicles were held in the mountains and morasses by the fiercest of the ,covenanters1 whom persecution had driven frantic4 ,these men1 known now by the name of ,cameronians1 considered popery and prelacy as synonymous terms2 and even stigmatized1 as ,erastians and self-seekers1 the more moderate ,presbyterians1 who were contented to exercise their religion as tolerated by the government4 ,note ,,xi4 ,her novices are taught1 that bread and wine ,are but the visible and outward sign1 ,received by those who in communion join2 ,but the inward grace1 or the thing signified1 ,his blood and body1 who to save us died1 c4--,p4 #acc4 ,the poet alludes to the doctrine of the church of ,england concerning the eucharist1 thus expressed in the twenty-eighth article of faith3 ,the ,supper of the ,lord is not only a sign of the love that ,christians ought to have among themselves one to another1 but rather it is a sacrament of our redemption by ,christ's death2 insomuch1 that to such as rightly1 worthily1 and with faith receive the same1 the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of ,christ1 and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of ,christ4 ,transubstantiation1 or the change of the substance of bread and wine1 in the ,supper of the ,lord1 cannot be proved by holy writ2 but it is repugnant to the plain words of ,scripture1 overthroweth the nature of a sacrament1 and hath given occasion to many superstitions4 ,the body of ,christ is given1 taken1 and eaten in the supper only1 after an heavenly and spiritual manner4 ,and the mean1 whereby the body of ,christ is received and eaten in the supper1 is faith4 ,dryden insists upon a supposed inconsistency in this doctrine2 but his argument recoils upon the creed of his own church4 ,the words of our ,saviour are to be interpreted as they must have been meant when spoken2 a circumstance which excludes the literal interpretation contended for by the ,romanists3 ,for1 by the words ,hoc est corpus meum1 our ,saviour cannot be then supposed to have meant1 that the morsel which he gave to his disciples was transformed into his body1 which then stood before their eyes1 and which all but heretics allow to have been a real1 natural1 human body1 incapable1 of course1 of being multiplied into as many bodies as there were persons to partake of the communion1 and of retaining its original and identical form at the same time4 ,but unless such a multiplied transformation actually took place1 our ,saviour's words to his apostles must have been emblematical only4 ,queen ,elizabeth's homely lines are1 after all1 an excellent comment on this point of divinity3 ,his was the word that spake it2 ,he took the bread and brake it2 ,and what that word did make it1 ,that ,i believe1 and take it4 ,note ,,xii4 ,true to her king her principles are found2 ,oh that her practice were but half so sound6--,p4 #acc4 ,the pretensions of the church of ,england to loyalty were carried to a degree of extravagance1 which her divines were finally unable to support1 unless they had meant to sign the destruction of their religion4 ,this was owing to the recollection of the momentous period which had lately elapsed4 ,the interest of the church had been deeply interwoven with that of the crown2 their struggle1 sufferings1 and fall1 during the civil wars1 had been in common1 as well as their triumphant restoration3 the maxim of no king no bishop1 was indelibly imprinted on the hearts of the clergy2 in fine1 it seemed impossible that any thing should cut asunder the ties which combined them4 ,in sanctioning1 therefore1 the doctrines of the most passive loyalty1 the ,english divines probably thought that they were only paying a tribute to the throne1 which was to be returned by the streams of royal bounty and grace towards the church4 ,even the religion of ,james did not1 before his accession1 shake their confidence1 or excite their apprehensions4 ,they were far more afraid of the fanatics1 under whose iron yoke they had so lately groaned1 than of the ,roman ,catholics1 who1 for three generations1 had been a depressed1 and therefore a tractable body1 whose ceremonies and church government resembled1 in some respects1 their own1 and who had sided with them during the civil wars against the ,protestant sectaries4 ,but when the members of the established church perceived1 that the rapid steps which ,james adopted would soon place the ,catholics in a condition to rival1 and perhaps to overpower her1 they were obliged to retract and explain away many of their former hasty expressions of absolute and unconditional devotion to the royal pleasure4 ,the king1 and his ,catholic counsellors1 saw with astonishment and indignation1 that professions of the most ample subjection were now to be understood as limited and restricted by the interests of the church4 ,in the height of their resentment1 even the church of ,england's pretensions to a peculiar degree of loyalty were unthankfully turned into ridicule1 in such bitter and sarcastic terms as the following1 which occur in a pamphlet published expressly with allowance1 i4 e4 by royal permission4 ,i have often considered1 but could never yet find a convincing reason1 why that part of the nation1 7which is commonly called the church of ,england7 should dare appropriate to themselves alone the principles of true loyalty2 and that no other church or communion on earth can be consistent with monarchy1 or1 indeed1 with any government4 ,this is a presumption of so high a nature1 that it renders the church of ,england a despicable enemy to the rest of mankind3 ,for1 what can be more ridiculous than to say1 that a congregation of people1 calling themselves a church1 which cannot pretend to an infallibility even in matters of faith1 having1 since their first institution1 made several fundamental changes of religious worship1 should1 however1 assume to themselves an inerribility in point of civil obedience to the temporal magistrate8 ,or1 what can be more injurious than to aver1 that no other sect or community on earth1 from the rising to the setting sun1 can be capable of this singular gift of loyalty8 ,so that the church of ,england alone1 7if you have faith enough to believe her own testimony17 is that beautiful spouse of ,christ1 holy in her doctrine1 and infallible in her duty to the supreme magistrate1 whom 7by a revelation peculiar to herself7 she owns both for her temporal and spiritual head4 ,but ,i doubt much1 whether her ipsa dixit alone will pass current with all the nations of the universe1 without making further search into the veracity of this bold assertion4 ,a ,new ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,note ,,xiii4 ,or ,isgrim's counsel4--,p4 #acd4 ,this name for the ,wolf is taken from an ancient political satire1 called ,reynard the ,fox2 in which an account is given of the intrigues at the court of the ,lion2 the impeachment of the ,fox2 his various wiles and escapes2 finally1 his conquering his accuser in single combat4 ,this ancient apologue was translated from the ,german by the venerable ,caxton1 and published the #fth day of ,june1 #adha4 ,it became very popular in ,england2 and we derive from it all the names commonly applied to animals in fable1 as ,reynard the fox1 ,tybert the cat1 ,bruin the bear1 ,isgrim the wolf1 c4 ,the original of this piece is still so highly esteemed in ,germany1 that it was lately modernized by ,goeth1 and is published among his ,nee ,schriften4 ,it is probable that this ancient satire might be the original of ,mother ,hubbard's ,tale1 and that ,dryden himself may have had something of its plan in his eye1 when writing ,the ,hind and ,panther4 ,as it had become merely a popular story-book1 some of his critics did not fail to make merry with his adopting any thing from such a source4 ,smith4 ,i have heard you quote ,reynard the fox4--,bayes4 ,why1 there's it now2 take it from me1 ,mr ,smith1 there is as good morality1 and as sound precepts1 in ,the ,delectable ,history of ,reynard the ,fox1 as in any book ,i know1 except ,seneca4 ,pray1 tell me1 where1 in any other author1 could ,i have found so pretty a name for a wolf as ,isgrim8#aci ,note ,,xiv4 ,the wretched ,panther cries aloud for aid ,to church and councils1 whom she first betrayed2 ,no help from fathers or tradition's train1 ,those ancient guides she taught us to disdain1 ,and by that ,scripture1 which she once abused ,to reformation1 stands herself accused4--,p4 #ace4 ,the author here prefers an argument much urged by the ,catholic divines against those of the church of ,england1 and which he afterwards resumes in the ,second ,part4 ,the ,english divines1 say they1 halt between two opinions2 they will not allow the weight of tradition when they dispute with the church of ,rome1 but refer to the scripture1 interpreted by each man's private opinion1 as the sole rule of faith2 while1 on the other hand1 they are obliged to have recourse to tradition in their disputes with the ,presbyterians and dissenters1 because1 without its aid1 they could not vindicate from scripture alone their hierarchy and church-government4 ,to this it was answered1 by the disputants on the church of ,england's side1 that they owned no such inconsistent opinion as was imputed to them2 but that they acknowledged1 for their rule of faith1 the word of ,god in general2 that by this they understood the written word1 or scripture1 in contradistinction to the ,roman rule of scripture and traditions2 and as distinguished1 both from the church of ,rome1 and from heretics and sectaries1 they understood by it more particularly the written word or scripture1 delivering a sense1 owned and declared by the primitive church of ,christ in the three creeds1 four first general councils1 and harmony of the fathers4 ,dryden's argument1 however1 had been1 by the ,catholics1 thought so sound1 that it is much dwelt upon in a tract1 called1 ,a ,remonstrance1 by way of ,address to both ,houses of ,parliament1 from the ,church of ,england1 the object of which is to recommend an union between the churches of ,england and of ,rome4 ,the former is there represented as holding the following language3 ,you cannot be ignorant1 that ever since my separation from the church of ,rome1 ,i have been attacked by all sorts of dissenters3 ,so that my fate1 in this encounter1 may be compared to that of a city1 besieged by different armies1 who fight both against it and one another2 where1 if the garrison make a sally to damage one1 another presently takes an advantage to make an attack4 ,thus1 whilst ,i set myself vigorously to suppress the papist1 the puritan seeks to undermine me2 and1 whilst ,i am busied to oppose the puritan1 the papist gains ground upon me4 ,if ,i tell the church of ,rome1 ,i did not forsake her1 but her errors1 which ,i reformed2 my rebellious subjects tell me the same1 and that they must make a thorough reformation2 and1 let me bring what arguments ,i please1 to justify my dissent1 they still produce the same against me4 ,if1 on the other hand1 ,i plead against the puritan dissenter1 and show1 that he ought to stand to church-authority1 where he is not infallibly certain it commands a sin2 the papist presently catches at it1 and tells me1 ,i destroy my own grounds of reformation1 unless ,i will pretend to that infallibility which ,i condemn in them4 ,matters standing thus betwixt me and them1 why would it not be a point of prudence in me1 7as ,i doubt not but you would esteem it in a governor of that city ,i lately mentioned17 to make peace with one of my adversaries1 to the end ,i may with more ease resist the onsets of the other8 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #acd3 ,hind and ,panther ,transversed4 ,footnote #ace3 ,this office was usually held by the executioner1 who1 to this extent1 was a pluralist2 and the change was chiefly made1 to prevent the necessity of producing that person in court1 to the aggravation of the criminal's terrors4 ,footnote #acf3 ,but separating this obliquity from the main intendment1 the work was vigorously carried on by the king and his counsellors1 as appears clearly by the doctrinals in the ,book of ,homilies1 and by the practical part of ,christian piety1 in the first public ,liturgy1 confirmed by act of parliament1 in the second and third year of the king2 and in that act 7and1 which is more1 by ,fox himself7 affirmed to have been done by the especial aid of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and here the business might have rested1 if ,catin's pragmatical spirit had not interposed4 ,he first began to quarrel at some passages in this sacred liturgy1 and afterwards never left soliciting the ,lord ,protector1 and practising by his agents on the court1 the country1 and the universities1 till he had laid the first foundation of the ,zuinglian faction2 who laboured nothing more1 than innovation both in doctrine and discipline2 to which they were encouraged by nothing more than some improvident indulgence granted unto ,john ,a-,lasco2 who1 bringing with him a mixt multitude of ,poles and ,germans1 obtained the privilege of a church for himself and his1 distinct in government and forms of worship from the church of ,england4 ,this gave powerful animation to the ,zuinglian gospellers1 7as they are called by ,bishop ,hooper1 and some other writers7 to practise first upon the church2 who being countenanced1 if not headed1 by the ,earl of ,warwick1 7who then began to undermine the ,lord ,protector17 first quarrelled the episcopal habit1 and afterwards inveighed against caps and surplices1 against gowns and tippets1 but fell at last upon the altars1 which were left standing in all churches by the rules of liturgy4 ,the touching on this string made excellent music to most of the grandees of the court1 who had before cast many an envious eye on those costly hangings1 that massy plate1 and other rich and precious utensils1 which adorned those altars4 ,and what need all this waste8 said ,judas1 when one poor chalice only1 and perhaps not that1 might have served the turn4 ,besides1 there was no small spoil to be made of copes1 in which the priest officiated at the holy sacrament2 some of them being made of cloth of tissue1 of cloth of gold and silver1 or embroidered velvet2 the meanest being made of silk1 or satin1 with some decent trimming4 ,and might not these be handsomely converted into private use1 to serve as carpets for their tables1 coverlids to their beds1 or cushions to their chairs or windows4 ,thereupon some rude people are encouraged under-hand to beat down some altars1 which makes way for an order of the council-table1 to take down the rest1 and set up tables in their places2 followed by a commission1 to be executed in all parts of the kingdom1 for seizing on the premises to the use of the king4 ,footnote #acg3 ,quo animo ipsum quoque ,paulum dicere existimo1 si potes liber fieri utere potius1 #a4 ,cor4 #g4 ,quod eternum ,dei concilium1 patres nostri1 fortissimi viri1 infracto animo secuti1 miris victoriarum successibus ut ,sempachii1 c4 ,and again1 ,ipse ,dominus libertatis author exstitit1 et honestam libertatem querentibus adest4--,pia et ,amica ,paransis ad ,suitensium rempublicam4 ,footnote #ach3 ,dalrymple's ,memoirs1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #ajh4 ,footnote #aci3 ,the ,hind and the ,panther ,transversed1 p4 #ad4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther1 ,a ,,poem4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,panther4 ,,part ,,second4 ,dame1 said the ,panther1 times are mended well1 ,since late among the ,philistines you fell4#adj ,the toils were pitched1 a spacious tract of ground ,with expert huntsmen was encompassed round2 ,the inclosure narrowed2 the sagacious power ,of hounds and death drew nearer every hour4 ',tis true1 the younger lion#ada 'scaped the snare1 ,but all your priestly calves lay struggling there1 ,as sacrifices on their altars laid2#adb ,while you1 their careful mother1 wisely fled1 ,not trusting destiny to save your head4 ,for1 whate'er promises you have applied ,to your unfailing church1 the surer side ,is four fair legs in danger to provide2 ,and whate'er tales of ,peter's chair you tell1 ,yet1 saving reverence of the miracle1 ,the better luck was yours to 'scape so well4-- ,as ,i remember1 said the sober ,hind1 ,those toils were for your own dear self designed1 ,as well as me2 and with the self-same throw1 ,to catch the quarry#adc and the vermin too1-- ,forgive the slanderous tongues that called you so4 ,howe'er you take it now1 the common cry ,then ran you down for your rank loyalty1#add ,besides1 in popery they thought you nurst1 ,as evil tongues will ever speak the worst1 ,because some forms1 and ceremonies some ,you kept1 and stood in the main question dumb4 ,dumb you were born indeed2 but1 thinking long1 ,the test1 it seems1 at last has loosed your tongue3#ade ,and to explain what your forefathers meant1 ,by real presence in the sacrament1 ,after long fencing pushed against a wall1 ,your salvo comes1 that he's not there at all3 ,there changed your faith1 and what may change may fall4 ,who can believe what varies every day1 ,nor ever was1 nor will be at a stay8-- ,tortures may force the tongue untruths to tell1 ,and ,i ne'er owned myself infallible1 ,replied the ,panther3 grant such presence were1 ,yet in your sense ,i never owned it there4 ,a real virtue we by faith receive1 ,and that we in the sacrament believe4-- ,then1 said the ,hind1 as you the matter state1 ,not only ,jesuits can equivocate2 ,for real1 as you now the word expound1 ,from solid substance dwindles to a sound4 ,methinks1 an sop's fable you repeat2 ,you know who took the shadow for the meat3 ,your church's substance thus you change at will1 ,and yet retain your former figure still4 ,i freely grant you spoke to save your life2 ,for then you lay beneath the butcher's knife4 ,long time you fought1 redoubled battery bore1 ,but1 after all1 against yourself you swore1 ,your former self2 for every hour your form ,is chopped and changed1 like winds before a storm4 ,thus fear and interest will prevail with some2 ,for all have not the gift of martyrdom4-- ,the ,panther grinned at this1 and thus replied3 ,that men may err was never yet denied2 ,but1 if that common principle be true1 ,the canon1 dame1 is levelled full at you4 ,but1 shunning long disputes1 ,i fain would see ,that wonderous wight1 ,infallibility4 ,is he from heaven1 this mighty champion1 come8 ,or lodged below in subterranean ,rome8 ,first1 seat him somewhere1 and derive his race1 ,or else conclude that nothing has no place4-- ,suppose1 though ,i disown it1 said the ,hind1 ,the certain mansion were not yet assigned2 ,the doubtful residence no proof can bring ,against the plain existence of the thing4 ,because philosophers may disagree1 ,if sight by emission1 or reception be1 ,shall it be thence inferred1 ,i do not see8#adf ,but you require an answer positive1 ,which yet1 when ,i demand1 you dare not give2 ,for fallacies in universals live4#adg ,i then affirm1 that this unfailing guide ,in pope and general councils must reside2 ,both lawful1 both combined2 what one decrees ,by numerous votes1 the other ratifies3 ,on this undoubted sense the church relies4#adh ',tis true1 some doctors in a scantier space1 ,i mean1 in each apart1 contract the place4 ,some1 who to greater length extend the line1 ,the church's after-acceptation join4 ,this last circumference appears too wide2 ,the church diffused is by the council tied1 ,as members by their representatives ,obliged to laws1 which prince and senate gives4 ,thus1 some contract1 and some enlarge the space2 ,in pope and council1 who denies the place1 ,assisted from above with ,god's unfailing grace8 ,those canons all the needful points contain2 ,their sense so obvious1 and their words so plain1 ,that no disputes about the doubtful text ,have hitherto the labouring world perplexed4 ,if any should in after-times appear1 ,new councils must be called1 to make the meaning clear2 ,because in them the power supreme resides1 ,and all the promises are to the guides4#adi ,this may be taught with sound and safe defence2 ,but mark how sandy is your own pretence1 ,who1 setting councils1 pope1 and church aside1 ,are every man his own presuming guide4#aej ,the sacred books1 you say1 are full and plain1 ,and every needful point of truth contain2 ,all who can read interpreters may be4 ,thus1 though your churches disagree1 ,yet every saint has to himself alone ,the secret of this philosophic stone4 ,these principles your jarring sects unite1 ,when differing doctors and disciples fight4 ,though ,luther1 ,zuinglius1 ,calvin1 holy chiefs1 ,have made a battle-royal of beliefs2 ,or1 like wild horses1 several ways have whirled ,the tortured text about the ,christian world2 ,each ,jehu lashing on with furious force1 ,that ,turk or ,jew could not have used it worse2 ,no matter what dissension leaders make1 ,where every private man may save a stake3 ,ruled by the scripture and his own advice1 ,each has a blind bye-path to ,paradise2 ,where1 driving in a circle slow or fast1 ,opposing sects are sure to meet at last4 ,a wonderous charity you have in store ,for all reformed to pass the narrow door2 ,so much1 that ,mahomet had scarcely more4 ,for he1 kind prophet1 was for damning none2 ,but ,christ and ,moses were to save their own3 ,himself was to secure his chosen race1 ,though reason good for ,turks to take the place1 ,and he allowed to be the better man1 ,in virtue of his holier ,alcoran4 ,true1 said the ,panther1 ,i shall ne'er deny ,my brethren may be saved as well as ,i3 ,though ,huguenots condemn our ordination1 ,succession1 ministerial vocation2 ,and ,luther1 more mistaking what he read1 ,misjoins the sacred body with the bread3#aea ,yet1 lady1 still remember ,i maintain1 ,the word in needful points is only plain4-- ,needless1 or needful1 ,i not now contend1 ,for still you have a loop-hole for a friend1 ,rejoined the matron2 but the rule you lay ,has led whole flocks1 and leads them still astray1 ,in weighty points1 and full damnation's way4 ,for1 did not ,arius first1 ,socinus now1 ,the ,son's eternal ,godhead disavow8 ,and did not these by gospel texts alone ,condemn our doctrine1 and maintain their own8 ,have not all heretics the same pretence ,to plead the scriptures in their own defence8 ,how did the ,nicene council then decide ,that strong debate8 was it by scripture tried8 ,no1 sure2 to that the rebel would not yield2 ,squadrons of texts he marshalled in the field3 ,that was but civil war1 an equal set1 ,where piles with piles1 and eagles eagles met4#aeb ,with texts point-blank and plain he faced the foe1 ,and did not ,satan tempt our ,saviour so8 ,the good old bishops took a simpler way2 ,each asked but what he heard his father say1 ,or how he was instructed in his youth1 ,and by tradition's force upheld the truth4#aec ,the ,panther smiled at this2--,and when1 said she1 ,were those first councils disallowed by me8 ,or where did ,i at sure tradition strike1 ,provided still it were apostolic8#aed ,friend1 said the ,hind1 you quit your former ground1 ,where all your faith you did on scripture found3 ,now 'tis tradition joined with holy writ2 ,but thus your memory betrays your wit4 ,no1 said the ,panther2 for in that ,i view1 ,when your tradition's forged1 and when 'tis true4 ,i set them by the rule1 and1 as they square1 ,or deviate from undoubted doctrine there1 ,this oral fiction1 that old faith declare4-- ,hind4 ,the council steered1 it seems1 a different course2 ,they tried the scripture by tradition's force3 ,but you tradition by the scripture try2 ,pursued by sects1 from this to that you fly1 ,nor dare on one foundation to rely4 ,the word is then deposed1 and in this view1 ,you rule the scripture1 not the scripture you4 ,thus said the dame1 and1 smiling1 thus pursued3 ,i see1 tradition then is disallowed1 ,when not evinced by scripture to be true1 ,and scripture1 as interpreted by you4 ,but here you tread upon unfaithful ground1 ,unless you could infallibly expound2 ,which you reject as odious popery1 ,and throw that doctrine back with scorn on me4 ,suppose we on things traditive divide1 ,and both appeal to scripture to decide2 ,by various texts we both uphold our claim1 ,nay1 often1 ground our titles on the same3 ,after long labour lost1 and time's expence1 ,both grant the words1 and quarrel for the sense4 ,thus all disputes for ever must depend2 ,for no dumb rule can controversies end4 ,thus1 when you said1--,tradition must be tried ,by sacred writ1 whose sense yourselves decide1 ,you said no more1 but that yourselves must be ,the judges of the scripture sense1 not we4 ,against our church-tradition you declare1 ,and yet your clerks would sit in ,moses' chair2 ,at least 'tis proved against your argument1 ,the rule is far from plain1 where all dissent4-- ,if not by scriptures1 how can we be sure1 ,replied the ,panther1 what tradition's pure8 ,for you may palm upon us new for old2 ,all1 as they say1 that glitters1 is not gold4 ,how but by following her1 replied the dame1 ,to whom derived from sire to son they came2 ,where every age does on another move1 ,and trusts no farther than the next above2 ,where all the rounds like ,jacob's ladder rise1 ,the lowest hid in earth1 the topmost in the skies8 ,sternly the savage did her answer mark1 ,her glowing eye-balls glittering in the dark1 ,and said but this3--,since lucre was your trade1 ,succeeding times such dreadful gaps have made1 ',tis dangerous climbing3 ,to your sons and you ,i leave the ladder1 and its omen too4#aee ,hind4 ,the ,panther's breath was ever famed for sweet2 ,but from the ,wolf such wishes oft ,i meet4 ,you learned this language from the ,blatant ,beast1#aef ,or rather did not speak1 but were possessed4 ,as for your answer1 'tis but barely urged3 ,you must evince tradition to be forged2 ,produce plain proofs2 unblemished authors use ,as ancient as those ages they accuse2 ,till when1 'tis not sufficient to defame2 ,an old possession stands1 till elder quits the claim4 ,then for our interest1 which is named alone ,to load with envy1 we retort your own2 ,for1 when traditions in your faces fly1 ,resolving not to yield1 you must decry4 ,as when the cause goes hard1 the guilty man ,excepts1 and thins his jury all he can2 ,so when you stand of other aid bereft1 ,you to the twelve apostles would be left4 ,your friend the ,wolf did with more craft provide ,to set those toys1 traditions1 quite aside2#aeg ,and fathers too1 unless when1 reason spent1 ,he cites them but sometimes for ornament4 ,but1 madam ,panther1 you1 though more sincere1 ,are not so wise as your adulterer2 ,the private spirit is a better blind1 ,than all the dodging tricks your authors find4 ,for they1 who left the scripture to the crowd1 ,each for his own peculiar judge allowed2 ,the way to please them was to make them proud4 ,thus with full sails they ran upon the shelf2 ,who could suspect a cozenage from himself8 ,on his own reason safer 'tis to stand1 ,than be deceived and damned at second-hand4 ,but you1 who fathers and traditions take1 ,and garble some1 and some you quite forsake1 ,pretending church-authority to fix1 ,and yet some grains of private spirit mix1 ,are1 like a mule1 made up of different seed1 ,and that's the reason why you never breed2 ,at least1 not propagate your kind abroad1 ,for home dissenters are by statutes awed4 ,and yet they grow upon you every day1 ,while you1 to speak the best1 are at a stay1 ,for sects1 that are extremes1 abhor a middle way3 ,like tricks of state1 to stop a raging flood1 ,or mollify a mad-brained senate's mood2 ,of all expedients never one was good4 ,well may they argue1 nor can you deny1 ,if we must fix on church authority1 ,best on the best1 the fountain1 not the flood2 ,that must be better still1 if this be good4 ,shall she command1 who has herself rebelled8 ,is antichrist by antichrist expelled8 ,did we a lawful tyranny displace1 ,to set aloft a bastard of the race8 ,why all these wars to win the book1 if we ,must not interpret for ourselves1 but she8 ,either be wholly slaves1 or wholly free4 ,for purging fires traditions must not fight2 ,but they must prove episcopacy's right4#aeh ,thus1 those led horses are from service freed2 ,you never mount them but in time of need4 ,like mercenaries1 hired for home defence1 ,they will not serve against their native prince4 ,against domestic foes of hierarchy ,these are drawn forth1 to make fanatics fly2 ,but1 when they see their countrymen at hand1 ,marching against them under church-command1 ,straight they forsake their colours1 and disband4-- ,thus she2 nor could the ,panther well enlarge ,with weak defence against so strong a charge2 ,but said3--,for what did ,christ his word provide1 ,if still his church must want a living guide8 ,and if all-saving doctrines are not there1 ,or sacred penmen could not make them clear1 ,from after-ages we should hope in vain ,for truths which men inspired could not explain4-- ,before the word was written1 said the ,hind1 ,our ,saviour preached his faith to human kind3 ,from his apostles the first age received ,eternal truth1 and what they taught believed4 ,thus1 by tradition faith was planted first1 ,succeeding flocks succeeding pastors nursed4 ,this was the way our wise ,redeemer chose1 ,who sure could all things for the best dispose1 ,to fence his fold from their encroaching foes4 ,he could have writ himself1 but well foresaw ,the event would be like that of ,moses' law2 ,some difference would arise1 some doubts remain1 ,like those which yet the jarring ,jews maintain4 ,no written laws can be so plain1 so pure1 ,but wit may gloss1 and malice may obscure2 ,not those indited by his first command1 ,a prophet graved the text1 an angel held his hand4 ,thus faith was ere the written word appeared1 ,and men believed not what they read1 but heard4 ,but since the apostles could not be confined ,to these1 or those1 but severally designed ,their large commission round the world to blow1 ,to spread their faith1 they spread their labours too4 ,yet still their absent flock their pains did share2 ,they hearkened still1 for love produces care4 ,and as mistakes arose1 or discords fell1 ,or bold seducers taught them to rebel1 ,as charity grew cold1 or faction hot1 ,or long neglect their lessons had forgot1 ,for all their wants they wisely did provide1 ,and preaching by epistles was supplied2 ,so1 great physicians cannot all attend1 ,but some they visit1 and to some they send4 ,yet all those letters were not writ to all2 ,nor first intended but occasional1 ,their absent sermons2 nor1 if they contain ,all needful doctrines1 are those doctrines plain4 ,clearness by frequent preaching must be wrought ,they writ but seldom1 but they daily taught2 ,and what one saint has said of holy ,paul1 ,he darkly writ1 is true applied to all4 ,for this obscurity could heaven provide ,more prudently than by a living guide1 ,as doubts arose1 the difference to decide8 ,a guide was therefore needful1 therefore made2 ,and1 if appointed1 sure to be obeyed4 ,thus1 with due reverence to the apostles' writ1 ,by which my sons are taught1 to which submit1 ,i think1 those truths1 their sacred works contain1 ,the church alone can certainly explain2 ,that following ages1 leaning on the past1 ,may rest upon the primitive at last4 ,nor would ,i thence the word no rule infer1 ,but none without the church-interpreter2 ,because1 as ,i have urged before1 'tis mute1 ,and is itself the subject of dispute4 ,but what the apostles their successors taught1 ,they to the next1 from them to us is brought1 ,the undoubted sense which is in scripture sought4 ,from hence the church is armed1 when errors rise1 ,to stop their entrance1 and prevent surprise2 ,and1 safe entrenched within1 her foes without defies4 ,by these all festering sores her councils heal1 ,which time or has disclosed1 or shall reveal2 ,for discord cannot end without a last appeal4 ,nor can a council national decide1 ,but with subordination to her guide3 7,i wish the cause were on that issue tried47 ,much less the scripture2 for suppose debate ,betwixt pretenders to a fair estate1 ,bequeathed by some legator's last intent2#aei 7,such is our dying ,saviour's testament37 ,the will is proved1 is opened1 and is read1 ,the doubtful heirs their differing titles plead2 ,all vouch the words their interest to maintain1 ,and each pretends by those his cause is plain4 ,shall then the testament award the right8 ,no1 that's the ,hungary for which they fight2 ,the field of battle1 subject of debate2 ,the thing contended for1 the fair estate4 ,the sense is intricate1 'tis only clear ,what vowels and what consonants are there4 ,therefore 'tis plain1 its meaning must be tried ,before some judge appointed to decide4-- ,suppose1 the fair apostate said1 ,i grant1 ,the faithful flock some living guide should want1 ,your arguments an endless chace pursue3 ,produce this vaunted leader to our view1 ,this mighty ,moses of the chosen crew4-- ,the dame1 who saw her fainting foe retired1 ,with force renewed1 to victory aspired2 ,and1 looking upward to her kindred sky1 ,as once our ,saviour owned his ,deity1 ,pronounced his words--,she whom ye seek am ,i4#afj ,nor less amazed this voice the ,panther heard1 ,than were those ,jews to hear a ,god declared4 ,then thus the matron modestly renewed3 ,let all your prophets and their sects be viewed1 ,and see to which of them yourselves think fit ,the conduct of your conscience to submit2 ,each proselyte would vote his doctor best1 ,with absolute exclusion to the rest3 ,thus would your ,polish diet disagree1 ,and end1 as it began1 in anarchy2 ,yourself the fairest for election stand1 ,because you seem crown-general of the land2 ,but soon against your superstitious lawn ,some presbyterian sabre would be drawn2#afa ,in your established laws of sovereignty ,the rest some fundamental flaw would see1 ,and call rebellion gospel-liberty4 ,to church-decrees your articles require ,submission mollified1 if not entire4#afb ,homage denied1 to censures you proceed2 ,but when ,curtana#afc will not do the deed1 ,you lay that pointless clergy-weapon by1 ,and to the laws1 your sword of justice1 fly4 ,now this your sects the more unkindly take1 7,those prying varlets hit the blots you make17 ,because some ancient friends of yours declare1 ,your only rule of faith the scriptures are1 ,interpreted by men of judgment sound1 ,which every sect will for themselves expound2 ,nor think less reverence to their doctors due ,for sound interpretation1 than to you4 ,if then1 by able heads1 are understood ,your brother prophets1 who reformed abroad2 ,those able heads expound a wiser way1 ,that their own sheep their shepherd should obey4 ,but if you mean yourselves are only sound1 ,that doctrine turns the reformation round1 ,and all the rest are false reformers found2 ,because in sundry points you stand alone1 ,not in communion joined with any one2 ,and therefore must be all the church1 or none4 ,then1 till you have agreed whose judge is best1 ,against this forced submission they protest2 ,while sound and sound a different sense explains1 ,both play at hardhead till they break their brains2 ,and from their chairs each other's force defy1 ,while unregarded thunders vainly fly4 ,i pass the rest1 because your church alone ,of all usurpers best could fill the throne4 ,but neither you1 nor any sect beside1 ,for this high office can be qualified1 ,with necessary gifts required in such a guide4 ,for that1 which must direct the whole1 must be ,bound in one bond of faith and unity2 ,but all your several churches disagree4 ,the consubstantiating church#afd and priest ,refuse communion to the ,calvinist2 ,the ,french reformed from preaching you restrain1 ,because you judge their ordination vain2#afe ,and so they judge of yours1 but donors must ordain4 ,in short1 in doctrine1 or in discipline1 ,not one reformed can with another join2 ,but all from each1 as from damnation1 fly3 ,no union they pretend1 but in non-popery4 ,nor1 should their members in a synod meet1 ,could any church presume to mount the seat1 ,above the rest1 their discords to decide2 ,none would obey1 but each would be the guide2 ,and face to face dissensions would increase1 ,for only distance now preserves the peace4 ,all in their turns accusers1 and accused2 ,babel was never half so much confused2 ,what one can plead1 the rest can plead as well2 ,for amongst equals lies no last appeal1 ,and all confess themselves are fallible4 ,now1 since you grant some necessary guide1 ,all who can err are justly laid aside2 ,because a trust so sacred to confer ,shows want of such a sure interpreter2 ,and how can he be needful who can err8 ,then1 granting that unerring guide we want1 ,that such there is you stand obliged to grant2 ,our ,saviour else were wanting to supply ,our needs1 and obviate that necessity4 ,it then remains1 that church can only be ,the guide1 which owns unfailing certainty2 ,or else you slip your hold1 and change your side1 ,relapsing from a necessary guide4 ,but this annexed condition of the crown1 ,immunity from errors1 you disown2 ,here then you shrink1 and lay your weak pretensions down4#aff ,for petty royalties you raise debate2 ,but this unfailing universal state ,you shun2 nor dare succeed to such a glorious weight2 ,and for that cause those promises detest1 ,with which our ,saviour did his church invest2 ,but strive to evade1 and fear to find them true1 ,as conscious they were never meant to you2 ,all which the mother-church asserts her own1 ,and with unrivalled claim ascends the throne4 ,so1 when of old the ,almighty ,father sate ,in council1 to redeem our ruined state1 ,millions of millions1 at a distance round1 ,silent the sacred consistory crowned1 ,to hear what mercy1 mixt with justice1 could propound2 ,all prompt1 with eager pity1 to fulfil ,the full extent of their ,creator's will3 ,but when the stern conditions were declared1 ,a mournful whisper through the host was heard1 ,and the whole hierarchy1 with heads hung down1 ,submissively declined the ponderous proffer'd crown4 ,then1 not till then1 the ,eternal ,son from high ,rose in the strength of all the ,deity2 ,stood forth to accept the terms1 and underwent ,a weight which all the frame of heaven had bent1 ,nor he himself could bear1 but as ,omnipotent4 ,now1 to remove the least remaining doubt1 ,that even the blear-eyed sects may find her out1 ,behold what heavenly rays adorn her brows1 ,what from his wardrobe her beloved allows1 ,to deck the wedding-day of his unspotted spouse6#afg ,behold what marks of majesty she brings1 ,richer than ancient heirs of eastern kings6 ,her right hand holds the sceptre and the keys1 ,to show whom she commands1 and who obeys2 ,with these to bind1 or set the sinner free1 ,with that to assert spiritual royalty4 ,one in herself1 not rent by schism1 but sound1 ,entire1 one solid shining diamond2 ,not sparkles shattered into sects like you3 ,one is the church1 and must be to be true2 ,one central principle of unity2 ,as undivided1 so from errors free2 ,as one in faith1 so one in sanctity4 ,thus she1 and none but she1 the insulting rage ,of heretics opposed from age to age2 ,still when the giant-brood invades her throne1 ,she stoops from heaven1 and meets them half way down1 ,and with paternal thunder vindicates her crown4 ,but like ,egyptian sorcerers you stand1 ,and vainly lift aloft your magic wand1 ,to sweep away the swarms of vermin from the land2 ,you could1 like them1 with like infernal force1 ,produce the plague1 but not arrest the course4 ,but when the boils and blotches1 with disgrace ,and public scandal1 sat upon the face1 ,themselves attacked1 the ,magi strove no more1 ,they saw ,god's finger1 and their fate deplore2 ,themselves they could not cure of the dishonest sore4#afh ,thus one1 thus pure1 behold her largely spread1 ,like the fair ocean from her mother-bed2 ,from east to west triumphantly she rides1 ,all shores are watered by her wealthy tides4 ,the gospel-sound1 diffused from pole to pole1 ,where winds can carry1 and where waves can roll1 ,the self-same doctrine of the sacred page ,conveyed to every clime1 in every age4 ,here let my sorrow give my satire place1 ,to raise new blushes on my ,british race4 ,our sailing ships like common-sewers we use1 ,and through our distant colonies diffuse ,the draught of dungeons1 and the stench of stews2 ,whom1 when their home-bred honesty is lost1 ,we disembogue on some far ,indian coast1 ,thieves1 pandars1 palliards1#afi sins of every sort2 ,those are the manufactures we export1 ,and these the missioners our zeal has made2 ,for1 with my country's pardon1 be it said1 ,religion is the least of all our trade4 ,yet some improve their traffic more than we2 ,for they on gain1 their only god1 rely1 ,and set a public price on piety4 ndustrious of the needle and the chart1 ,they run full sail to their ,japonian mart2 ,preventing fear1 and1 prodigal of fame1 ,sell all of ,christian to the very name1#agj ,nor leave enough of that to hide their naked shame4 ,thus1 of three marks1 which in the creed we view1 ,not one of all can be applied to you2 ,much less the fourth4 ,in vain1 alas6 you seek ,the ambitious title of apostolic3#aga ,god-like descent6 'tis well your blood can be ,proved noble in the third or fourth degree2 ,for all of ancient that you had before1 ,i mean what is not borrowed from our store1 ,was error fulminated o'er and o'er2 ,old heresies condemned in ages past1 ,by care and time recovered from the blast4#agb ',tis said with ease1 but never can be proved1 ,the church her old foundations has removed1 ,and built new doctrines on unstable sands3 ,judge that1 ye winds and rains6 you proved her1 yet she stands4 ,those ancient doctrines charged on her for new1 ,show1 when1 and how1 and from what hands they grew4 ,we claim no power1 when heresies grow bold1 ,to coin new faith1 but still declare the old4 ,how else could that obscene disease be purged1 ,when controverted texts are vainly urged8 ,to prove tradition new1 there's somewhat more ,required1 than saying1 'twas not used before4 ,those monumental arms are never stirred1 ,till schism or heresy call down ,goliah's sword4 ,thus1 what you call corruptions1 are1 in truth1 ,the first plantations of the gospel's youth2 ,old standard faith2 but cast your eyes again1 ,and view those errors which new sects maintain1 ,or which of old disturbed the church's peaceful reign2 ,and we can point each period of the time1 ,when they began1 and who begot the crime2 ,can calculate how long the eclipse endured1 ,who interposed1 what digits were obscured3 ,of all which are already passed away1 ,we know the rise1 the progress1 and decay4 ,despair at our foundations then to strike1 ,till you can prove your faith apostolic2 ,a limpid stream drawn from the native source2 ,succession lawful in a lineal course4 ,prove any church1 opposed to this our head1 ,so one1 so pure1 so unconfinedly spread1 ,under one chief of the spiritual state1 ,the members all combined1 and all subordinate2 ,show such a seamless coat1 from schism so free1 ,in no communion joined with heresy2-- ,if such a one you find1 let truth prevail2 ,till when1 your weights will in the balance fail2 ,a church unprincipled kicks up the scale4 ,but if you cannot think1 7nor sure you can ,suppose in ,god what were unjust in man17 ,that ,he1 the fountain of eternal grace1 ,should suffer falsehood for so long a space ,to banish truth1 and to usurp her place2 ,that seven successive ages should be lost1 ,and preach damnation at their proper cost2#agc ,that all your erring ancestors should die1 ,drowned in the abyss of deep idolatry2 ,if piety forbid such thoughts to rise1 ,awake1 and open your unwilling eyes3 ,god hath left nothing for each age undone1 ,from this to that wherein he sent his ,son2 ,then think but well of him1 and half your work is done4 ,see how his church1 adorned with every grace1 ,with open arms1 a kind forgiving face1 ,stands ready to prevent her long-lost son's embrace6 ,not more did ,joseph o'er his brethren weep1 ,nor less himself could from discovery keep1 ,when in the crowd of suppliants they were seen1 ,and in their crew his best-loved ,benjamin4 ,that pious ,joseph in the church behold1 ,to feed your famine1 and refuse your gold2 ,the ,joseph you exiled1 the ,joseph whom you sold4#agd ,thus1 while with heavenly charity she spoke1 ,a streaming blaze the silent shadows broke2 ,shot from the skies a cheerful azure light2 ,the birds obscene to forests winged their flight1 ,and gaping graves received the wandering guilty sprite4 ,such were the pleasing triumphs of the sky1 ,for ,james his late nocturnal victory2 ,the pledge of his almighty ,patron's love1 ,the fireworks which his angels made above4#age ,i saw myself the lambent easy light#agf ,gild the brown horror1 and dispel the night2 ,the messenger with speed the tidings bore2 ,news1 which three labouring nations did restore2 ,but heaven's own ,nuntius was arrived before4 ,by this1 the ,hind had reached her lonely cell1 ,and vapours rose1 and dews unwholesome fell2 ,when she1 by frequent observation wise1 ,as one who long on heaven had fixed her eyes1 ,discerned a change of weather in the skies4 ,the western borders were with crimson spread1 ,the moon descending looked all flaming red2 ,she thought good manners bound her to invite ,the stranger dame to be her guest that night4 ',tis true1 coarse diet1 and a short repast1 ,she said1 were weak inducements to the taste ,of one so nicely bred1 and so unused to fast2 ,but what plain fare her cottage could afford1 ,a hearty welcome at a homely board1 ,was freely hers2 and1 to supply the rest1 ,an honest meaning1 and an open breast2 ,last1 with content of mind1 the poor man's wealth1 ,a grace-cup to their common patron's#agg health4 ,this she desired her to accept1 and stay1 ,for fear she might be wildered in her way1 ,because she wanted an unerring guide1 ,and then the dew-drops on her silken hide ,her tender constitution did declare1 ,too lady-like a long fatigue to bear1 ,and rough inclemencies of raw nocturnal air4#agh ,but most she feared1 that1 travelling so late1 ,some evil-minded beasts might lie in wait1 ,and without witness wreak their hidden hate4 ,the ,panther1 though she lent a listening ear1 ,had more of lion in her than to fear2 ,yet wisely weighing1 since she had to deal ,with many foes their numbers might prevail1 ,returned her all the thanks she could afford1 ,and took her friendly hostess at her word2 ,who1 entering first her lowly roof1 a shed ,with hoary moss and winding ivy spread1 ,honest enough to hide an humble hermit's head1 ,thus graciously bespoke her welcome guest3 ,so might these walls1 with your fair presence blest1 ,become your dwelling-place of everlasting rest2 ,not for a night1 or quick revolving year1 ,welcome an owner1 not a sojourner4 ,this peaceful seat my poverty secures2 ,war seldom enters but where wealth allures3 ,nor yet despise it2 for this poor abode1 ,has oft received1 and yet receives a ,god2 ,a ,god1 victorious of a ,stygian race1 ,here laid his sacred limbs1 and sanctified the place4 ,this mean retreat did mighty ,pan#agi contain2 ,be emulous of him1 and pomp disdain1 ,and dare not to debase your soul to gain4#ahj ,the silent stranger stood amazed to see ,contempt of wealth1 and wilful poverty2 ,and1 though ill habits are not soon controuled1 ,awhile suspended her desire of gold4 ,but civilly drew in her sharpened paws1 ,not violating hospitable laws1 ,and pacified her tail1 and licked her frothy jaws4 ,the ,hind did first her country cates provide2 ,then couched herself securely by her side4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #adj3 ,alluding to the ,popish ,plot4 ,see ,note ,i4 ,footnote #ada3 ,james ,,ii4 then ,duke of ,york1 whom ,shaftesbury and his party involved in the odium of the plot4 ,footnote #adb3 ,plunket1 the titular primate of ,ireland1 ,whitebread1 provincial of the ,jesuits1 and several other ,catholic priests1 suffered for the alleged plot4 ,derrick most absurdly supposes the passage to refer to the period of the ,civil ,war4 ,footnote #adc3 ,quarry signifies1 properly1 dead game ready to be cut up by the huntsman1 which the ,french still call faire la cure4 ,but it is often taken1 as in this passage1 for the game in general4 ,vermin comprehends such wild animals as are not game1 foxes1 polecats1 and the like4 ,footnote #add3 ,note ,,ii4 ,footnote #ade3 ,the test-oath1 against popery1 in which transubstantiation is formally disavowed4 ,see ,note ,,iii4 ,footnote #adf3 ,there was a dispute among naturalists1 whether sight was accomplished per emissionem vel per receptionem specierum4 ,footnote #adg3 ,dolus versatur in generalibus1 was an axiom of the schools4 ,footnote #adh3 ,note ,,iv4 ,footnote #adi3 ,the ,catholics interpret our ,saviour's promise1 that he would be with the disciples to the end of the world1 as applicable to their own church exclusively4 ,footnote #aej3 ,note ,v4 ,footnote #aea3 ,by the doctrine of consubstantiation4 ,footnote #aeb3 ,alluding to ,lucan's description of the ,roman civil war4 ,footnote #aec3 ,note ,,vi4 ,footnote #aed3 ,see ,note ,,xiv4 ,part ,i4 page #aef4 ,footnote #aee3 ,the gallows4 ,footnote #aef3 ,by the ,blatant ,beast1 we are generally to understand slander2 see ,spenser's ,legend of ,courtesy4 ,but it is here taken for the ,wolf1 or ,presbyterian clergy1 whose violent declamations against the church of ,rome filled up many sermons4 ,footnote #aeg3 ,the ,presbyterian church utterly rejects traditions1 and appeals to the scripture as the sole rule of faith4 ,footnote #aeh3 ,note ,,vii4 ,footnote #aei3 ,it is probable1 that from this passage ,swift took the idea of comparing the scripture to a testament in his ,tale of a ,tub4 ,footnote #afj3 ,by this asseveration the author seems to infer1 that1 because the church of ,rome avers her own infallibility1 she is therefore infallible4 ,footnote #afa3 ,in a ,polish ,diet1 where unanimity was necessary1 the mode adopted of ensuring it was for the majority to hew to pieces the first individual who expressed his dissent by the fatal veto4 ,footnote #afb3 ,the church1 according to the articles of faith1 hath power to decree rites and ceremonies1 and authority in controversies of faith2 and yet it is not lawful for the church to ordain any thing that is contrary to ,god's word written1 neither may it so expound one place of scripture1 that it be repugnant to another4 ,article xx4 ,footnote #afc3 ,this romantic name is given to the sword of mercy2 which wants a point1 and is said to have been that of ,edward the ,confessor4 ,it is borne at the coronation4 ,the sword of ,ogier the ,dane1 famous in romance1 the work of ,galand1 who made ,joyeuse and ,durandal1 was also called ,curtana4 ,footnote #afd3 ,the ,lutherans4 ,footnote #afe3 ,the ,huguenot preachers1 being ,calvinists1 had received classical1 and not episcopal ordination3 hence1 unless re-ordained1 they were not admitted to preach in the established church of ,england4 ,footnote #aff3 ,note ,,viii4 ,footnote #afg3 ,note ,,ix4 ,footnote #afh3 ,the magicians imitated ,moses in producing the frogs which infested ,egypt2 but they could not relieve from that1 or any of the other plagues4 ,by that of boils and blains they were afflicted themselves1 like the other ,egyptians4 ,and the magicians could not stand before ,moses because of the boils1 for the boils were upon the magicians1 and upon all the ,egyptians4 ,exod4 ix4 #aa4 ,footnote #afi3 ,debauchees4 ,footnote #agj3 ,note ,x4 ,footnote #aga3 ,note ,,xi4 ,footnote #agb3 ,alluding to the doctrines of ,wiccliff and the ,lollards1 condemned as heresies in their own times1 but revived by the reformers4 ,footnote #agc3 ,about seven hundred years elapsed between the departure of the church of ,rome from the simplicity of the primitive ,christians1 and the dawn of the ,reformation4 ,footnote #agd3 ,note ,,xii4 ,footnote #age3 ,note ,,xiii4 ,footnote #agf3 ,poeta loquitur4 ,footnote #agg3 ,king ,james4 ,footnote #agh3 ,note ,,xiv4 ,footnote #agi3 ,our ,saviour4 ,footnote #ahj3 ,ut ventum ad sedes3 ,hc1 inquit1 limina victor ,alcides subiit2 hc illum regia cepit4 ,aude1 hospes1 contemnere opes1 et te quoque dignum ,finge deo2 rebusque veni non asper egenis4 neid4 ,lib4 ,,viii4 ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,note ,i4 ,dame1 said the ,panther1 times are mended well1 ,since late among the ,philistines you fell4 ,the toils were pitched1 a spacious tract of ground1 ,with expert huntsmen1 was encompassed round2 ,the enclosure narrowed2 the sagacious power ,of hounds and death drew nearer every hour4--,p4 #afa4 ,in these spirited lines1 ,dryden describes the dangers in which the ,english ,catholics were involved by the ,popish ,plot1 which rendered them so obnoxious for two years1 that even ,charles himself1 much as he was inclined to favour them1 durst not attempt to prevent the most severe measures from being adopted towards them4 ,it is somewhat curious1 that the very same metaphor of hounds and huntsmen is employed by one of the most warm advocates for the plot4 ,had this plot been a forged contrivance of their own1 7i4e4 the ,papists17 they would at the very first discovery of it have had half a dozen1 or half a score1 crafty fellows1 ready to have attested all the same things2 whereas1 on the contrary1 notwithstanding we are now on a burning scent1 we were fain till here of late to pick out1 by little and little1 all upon a cold scent1 and that stained too by the tricks and malice of our enemies4 ,so that had we not had some such good huntsmen as the ,right ,noble ,earl of ,shaftesbury1 to manage the chase for us1 our hounds must needs have been baffled1 and the game lost4--,appeal from the ,country to the ,city4 ,state ,tracts1 p4 #djg4 ,note ,,ii4 ,as ,i remember1 said the sober ,hind1 ,those toils were for your own dear self designed1 ,as well as me2 and with the self-same throw1 ,to catch the quarry and the vermin too1 7,forgive the slanderous tongues that called you so47 ,howe'er you take it now1 the common cry ,then ran you down for your rank loyalty4--,p4 #afb4 ,the country party1 during the #afgi1 and the succeeding years1 were as much incensed against the divines of the high church of ,england as against the ,papists4 ,the furious pamphlet1 quoted in the last note1 divides the enemies of this country into four classes2 officers1 courtiers1 over-hot churchmen1 and papists4 ,over-hot churchmen1 it continues1 are bribed to wish well to popery1 by the hopes1 if not of a cardinal's cap1 yet at least by a command over some abbey1 priory1 or other ecclesiastical preferment whereof the ,romish church hath so great plenty4 ,these are the men1 who exclaim against our parliament's proceedings1 in relation to the plot1 as too violent1 calling these times by no other name than that of forty or forty-one2#aha when1 to amuse as well his sacred majesty as his good people1 they again threaten us with another forty-eight2 and all this is done to vindicate underhand the ,catholic party1 by throwing a suspicion on the fanatics4 ,these are the gentlemen who so magnify the principles of ,bishop ,laud1 and so much extol the writings of that same late spirited prelate ,dr ,heylin1 who hath made more ,papists1 by his books than ,christians by his sermons4 ,these are those episcopal ,tantivies1 who can make even the very scriptures pimp for the court1 who out of ,urim and ,thummim can extort a sermon1 to prove the not paying of tithes and taxes to be the sin against the ,holy ,ghost2 and had rather see the kingdom run down with blood1 than part with the least hem of a sanctified frock1 which they themselves made holy4--,appeal1 c4 ,state ,tracts1 p4 #djc4 ,in a very violent tract1 written expressly against the influence of the clergy1#ahb they are charged with being the principal instruments of the court in corrupting elections4 ,i find1 says the author1 when talking of the approaching general election1 all persons very forward to countenance this public work1 except the high-flown ritualists and ceremony-mongers of the clergy1 who1 being in the conspiracy against the people1 lay themselves out to accommodate their masters with the veriest villains that can be picked up in all the country1 that so we may fall into the hands again of as treacherous and lewd a parliament1 as the wisdom of ,god and folly of man has most miraculously dissolved4 ,to which end they traduce all worthy men for fanatics1 schismatics1 or favourers of them4 ,nay1 do but pitch upon a gentleman1 who believes it his duty to serve his ,god1 his king1 and country1 faithfully1 they cry him down as a person dangerous and disaffected to the government2 thinking thereby to scare the people from the freedom of their choice1 and then impose their hair-brained journeymen and half-witted fops upon them4 ,in ,shadwell's ,whig play1 called ,the ,lancashire ,witches1 he has introduced an high-flying chaplain1 as the expression then run1 and an ,irish priest1 who are described as very ready to accommodate each other in all religious tenets1 since they agree in disbelieving the popish plot1 and in believing that ascribed to the fanatics4 ,these1 out of a thousand instances1 may serve to show1 how closely the country party in the time of ,charles ,,ii4 were disposed to identify the interests of ,rome1 and of the high church of ,england4 ,dryden is therefore well authorised to say1 that both communions were aimed at by that cabal1 which pushed on the investigation of the supposed plot4 ,note ,,iii4 ,the test1 it seems1 at last has loosed your tongue4--,p4 #afb4 ,if there was any ambiguity in the church of ,england's doctrine concerning the eucharist1 it was fully explained by the memorable ,test ,act1 passed in #afgh1 during the heat of the ,popish ,plot1 by which all persons holding public offices were required1 under pain of disqualification1 to disown the doctrine of transubstantiation1 in the most explicit terms1 as also that of image worship4 ,this bill was pressed forwards with great violence by the country party4 ,i would not1 said one of their orators1 have a popishman1 or a popish woman1 remain here2 not a popish dog1 or a popish bitch2 not so much as a popish cat1 to pur and mew about the king4 ,many of the church of ,england party opposed this test1 from an idea that it was prejudicial to the interests of the crown4 ,note ,,iv4 ,i then affirm1 that this unfailing guide ,in pope and general councils must reside2 ,both lawful1 both combined2 what one decrees ,by numerous votes1 the other ratifies2 ,on this undoubted sense the church relies4--,p4 #afd4 ,dryden does not plead the cause of infallibility so high as to declare it lodged in the pope alone2 but inclines to the milder and more moderate opinion1 which vests it in the church and pope jointly4 ,this was the shape in which the doctrine was stated in the pamphlets generally dispersed from the king's printing-press about this time2 whether because ,james really held the opinion of the ,ultramontane1 or ,gallican church1 in this point1 or that he thought the more moderate statement was most likely to be acceptable to new converts4 ,in a dialogue betwixt a ,missioner and a ,plain ,man1 printed along with the ,rosary1 in a very small form1 and apparently designed for very extensive circulation1 the question is thus stated3 ,plain ,man4 ,how shall ,i know what the church teaches1 and by what means may ,i come to know her infallible doctrine8 ,missioner4 ,in those cases1 she speaks to us by her supreme courts of judicature1 her general councils1 which1 being the legal representatives of her whole body1 she is secured from erring in them as to all things which appertain to faith4 ,note ,v4 ,but mark how sandy is your own pretence1 ,who1 setting councils1 pope1 and church aside1 ,are every man his own presuming guide ,the sacred books1 you say1 are full and plain1 ,and every needful point of truth contain2 ,all who can read interpreters may be4--,p4 #afe4 ,this ultimate appeal to the scriptures against the authority of the church1 as it is what the church of ,rome has most to dread1 is most combated by her followers4 ,dryden1 like a good courtier1 adopts here1 as well as elsewhere1 the arguments which converted his master1 ,charles ,,ii4 ,we declare1 says the king in his first paper1 to believe one ,catholic and apostolic church2 and it is not left to every phantastical man's head to believe as he pleases1 but to the church1 to whom ,christ left the power upon earth1 to govern us in matters of faith1 who made these creeds for our directions4 ,it were a very irrational thing to make laws for a country1 and leave it to the inhabitants to be interpreters and judges of those laws3 ,for then every man will be his own judge2 and1 by consequence1 no such thing as either right or wrong4 ,can we therefore suppose1 that ,god ,almighty would leave us at those uncertainties1 as to give us a rule to go by1 and leave every man to be his own judge8 ,i do ask any ingenuous man1 ,whether it be not the same thing to follow our own phancy1 or to interpret the scripture by it8 ,i would have any man shew me1 where the power of deciding matters of faith is given to every particular man4 ,christ left his power to his church1 even to forgive sins in heaven2 and left his ,spirit with them1 which they exercised after his resurrection2 first by his apostles in their creed1 and many years after by the council at ,nice1 where that creed was made that is called by that name2 and by the power which they had received from ,christ1 they were the judges even of the scripture itself many years after the apostles1 which books were canonical1 and which were not4 ,papers found in ,king ,charles's strong box4 ,note ,,vi4 ,the good old bishops took a simpler way2 ,each asked but what he heard his father say1 ,or how he was instructed in his youth1 ,and by tradition's force upheld the truth4--,p4 #afg4 ,dryden had previously attacked the rule of faith1 by private judgment of the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,his assumption is1 that the scriptures having been often misunderstood and abused by heretics of various descriptions1 there must be some more infallible guide left us by ,god as the rule of faith4 ,instead of trusting1 therefore1 to individual judgment founded on the scripture1 he urges1 that the infallibility of faith depends upon oral tradition1 handed down1 as his communion pretends1 by father to son1 from the times of the primitive church till this very day4 ,it is upon this foundation that the church of ,rome rests her claim to infallibility1 as the immediate representative of the apostles and primitive church4 ,note ,,vii4 ,for purging fires traditions must not fight2 ,but they must prove episcopacy's right4--,p4 #agj4 ,the doctrine of purgatory1 and prayers for the dead1 is founded on a passage in the book of ,tobit4 ,the ,apocrypha not being absolutely rejected by the church of ,england1 but admitted for example of life and instruction of manners1 though not of canonical authority1 part of this curious and romantic history is read in the course of the calendar4 ,the domestic circumstance of the dog gave unreasonable scandal to the ,puritans1 from which the following is a good-humoured vindication4 ,give me leave for once to intercede for that poor dog1 because he is a dog of good example1 for he was faithful1 and loved his master2 besides1 that he never troubles the church on ,sundays1 when people have their best clothes on2 only on a week-day1 when scrupulous brethren are always absent1 the poor cur makes bold to follow his master4 ,but although the church of ,england did not receive the traditive belief1 founded upon the aforesaid passage concerning prayer for the dead1 the dissenters accused her of liberal reference to tradition in the disputes concerning the office of bishop1 the nature of which is in the ,new ,testament left somewhat dubious4 ,note ,,viii4 ,but this annexed condition of the crown1 ,immunity from errors1 you disown2 ,here then you shrink1 and lay your weak pretensions down4 ,p4 #agf4 ,much of the preceding argument1 and this conclusion1 is founded upon the following passage in the second paper found in ,king ,charles's strong box4 ,it is a sad thing to consider what a world of heresies are crept into this nation4 ,every man thinks himself as competent a judge of the scriptures as the very apostles themselves2 and 'tis no wonder that it should be so1 since that part of the nation which looks most like a church1 dares not bring the true arguments against the other sects1 for fear they should be turned against themselves1 and confuted by their own arguments4 ,the church of ,england1 as 'tis called1 would fain have it thought1 that they are the judges in matters spiritual1 and yet dare not positively say1 that there is no appeal from them2 for either they must say1 that they are infallible1 which they cannot pretend to1 or confess1 that what they decide in matters of conscience is no further to be followed1 than as it agrees with every man's private judgment4 ,to this the divines of ,england answered1 that they indeed asserted church authority1 but without pretending to infallibility2 and that while the church decided upon points of faith1 she was to be directed and guided by the scriptures1 just as the judges of a temporal tribunal are to frame their decisions1 not from any innate or infallible authority of their own1 but in conformity with the laws of the realm4 ,note ,,ix4 ,behold1 what heavenly rays adorn her brows1 ,what from his wardrobe her beloved allows1 ,to deck the wedding-day of his unspotted spouse6--,p4 #agg4 ,in this and the following lines ,dryden sets forth his adopted mother-church in all the glowing attributes of majesty and authority4 ,the lines are extremely beautiful1 and their policy is obvious1 from the following passage in a pretended letter from ,father ,petre to ,father ,la ,chaise4 ,the letter bears every mark indeed of forgery2 but it is equally an illustration of ,dryden1 whether the policy contained in it was attributed by the ,protestants to the ,catholics as part of their scheme1 or was really avowed as such by themselves4 ,many ,english heretics resort often to our sermons2 and ,i have often recommended to our fathers to preach now in the beginning as little as they can of the controversy1 because that provokes2 but to represent to them the beauty and antiquity of the ,catholic religion1 that they may be convinced that all that has been said and preached to them1 and their own reflections concerning it1 have been all scandal4--,somers' ,tracts1 p4 #bec4 ,the unity of the ,catholic church was also chiefly insisted on during the controversy3 ,one in herself1 not rent by schism1 but sound1 ,entire2 one solid1 shining diamond1 ,not sparkles shattered into sects like you2 ,one is the church1 and must be to be true4 ,it seems to have escaped ,dryden1 that all the various sects which have existed1 and do now exist1 in the ,christian world1 may1 in some measure1 be said to be sparkles shattered from his solid diamond2 since at one time all ,christendom belonged to the ,roman church4 ,thus the disunion of the various sects of ,protestants is no more an argument against the church of ,england than it is against the church of ,rome1 or the ,christian faith in general4 ,all communions insist on the same privilege2 and when the church of ,rome denounced the ,protestants as heretics1 like ,coriolanus going into exile1 they returned the sentence against her who gave it4 ,if it is urged1 that1 notwithstanding these various defections1 the ,roman church retained the most extended communion1 this plea would place the truth of religious opinions upon the hazardous basis of numbers1 which ,mahometans might plead more successfully than any ,christian church1 in proportion as their faith is more widely extended4 ,these arguments of the unity and extent of the church are thus expressed in a missionary tract already quoted1 where the ,plain ,man thus addresses his ,english parson3 ,either shew me1 by more plain and positive texts of scripture than what the ,missioner has here brought1 that ,god ,almighty has promised to preserve his church from essential errors1 such as are idolatry1 superstition1 c42 or else shew me a church visible in all ages spread over the face of the whole world1 secured from such errors1 and at unity in itself4 ,a church1 that has had all along kings for nursing fathers1 and queens for nursing mothers2 a church1 to which all nations have flowed1 and which is authorised to teach them infallibly all those truths which were delivered to the saints without mixtures of error1 which destroy sanctity2 ,i say1 either shew me1 from plain texts of scripture1 that ,christ's church was not to be my infallible guide2 or shew me such a church of ,christ as these promises require1 distinct from that of the ,roman1 and from which she has either separated1 or been cut off4 ,note ,x4 ,industrious of the needle and the chart1 ,they run full sail to their ,japonian mart2 ,preventing fear1 and prodigal of fame1 ,sell all of ,christian to the very name4--,p4 #agi4 ,the author has1 a little above1 used an argument1 much to the honour of the ,catholic church--her unceasing diligence in labouring for the conversion of the heathen2 a task1 in which her missionaries have laboured with unwearied assiduity1 encountering fatigue1 danger1 and martyrdom itself1 in winning souls to the faith4 ,it has been justly objected1 that the spiritual instruction of their converts is but slight and superficial2 yet still their missionary zeal forms a strong contrast to the indifference of the reformed churches in this duty4 ,nothing of the kind has ever been attempted on a great or national scale by the church of ,england1 which gives ,catholics room to upbraid her clergy with their unambitious sloth in declining the dignity of becoming bishops in partibus infidelium4 ,the poet goes on to state the scandalous materials with which it has been the universal custom of ,britain to supply the population of her colonies2 the very dregs and outcasts of humanity being the only recruits whom she destines to establish the future marts for her commodities4 ,the success of such missionaries among the savage tribes1 who have the misfortune to be placed in their vicinity1 may be easily guessed3 ,deliberate and undeceived1 ,the wild men's vices they received1 ,and gave them back their own4 ,wordsworth4 ,on the other hand1 the care of the ,catholic missionaries was by no means limited to the spiritual concerns of those heathen among whom they laboured3 they extended them to their temporal concerns1 and sometimes unfortunately occasioned grievous civil dissensions1 and much bloodshed4 ,something of this kind took place in ,japan2 where the ,christians1 having raised a rebellion against the heathens1 7for the beaten party1 as ,dryden says1 are always rebels to the victors17 were exterminated1 root and branch4 ,this excited such an utter hatred of ,catholic priests1 and their religion1 that they were prohibited1 under the deepest denunciations of death and confiscation1 from landing in ,japan4 ,nevertheless1 the severity of this law did not prevent the ,hollanders from sharing in the gainful traffic of the island1 which they gained permission to do1 by declaring1 that they were not ,christians1 7only meaning1 we hope1 that they were not ,catholics17 but ,dutchmen2 and it was currently believed1 that1 in corroboration of their assertion1 they were required to trample upon the crucifix1 the object of adoration to those whom the ,japanese had formerly known under the name of ,christians4 ,note ,,xi4 ,thus of three marks which in the creed we view1 ,not one of all can be applied to you1 ,much less the fourth2 in vain1 alas6 you seek ,the ambitious title of apostolic4--,p4 #agi4 ,the poet is enumerating the marks of the ,catholic church1 according to the ,nicene creed1 which he makes out to be ,unity1 ,truth1 ,sanctity1 and ,apostolic ,derivation1 all of which he denies to the church of ,england4 ,the qualities of truth and sanctity are implied under the word ,catholic4 ,note ,,xii4 ,that pious ,joseph in the church behold1 ,to feed your famine1 and refuse your gold2 ,the ,joseph you exiled1 the ,joseph whom you sold4--,p4 #ahb4 ,the ,english ,benedictine monks executed a renunciation of the abbey lands1 belonging to the order before the ,reformation1 in order to satisfy the minds of the possessors1 and reconcile them to the re-establishment of the ancient religion1 by guaranteeing the stability of their property4 ,there appeared1 however1 to the proprietors of these lands1 little generosity in this renunciation1 in case the monks were to remain in a condition of inability to support their pretended claim2 and1 on the other hand1 some reason to suspect its validity1 should they ever be strong enough to plead their title4 ,the king's declaration of indulgence contained a promise upon this head1 which appeared equally ominous3 ,he declared1 that he would maintain his loving subjects in their properties and possessions1 as well of church and abbey lands as of any other4 ,the only effect of this clause was to make men enquire1 whether popery was so near being established as to make such a promise necessary2 and if so1 how far the promise itself was to be relied upon1 in opposition to the doctrine of resumption1 which had always been enforced by the ,roman see1 even when these church lands fell into the hands of persons of their own persuasion1 unless they were dedicated to pious uses4 ,nor were there wanting persons to remind the proprietors of such lands1 that the canons declared that even the pope had no authority to confirm the alienation of the property of the church2 that the general council of ,trent had solemnly anathematized all who detained church lands2 that the ,monasticon ,anglicanum was carefully preserved in the ,vatican as a rule for the intended resumption2 and that the reigning pope had obstinately refused to confirm any such alienations by his bulls1 though the doing so at this crisis might have removed a great obstacle to the growth of ,popery in ,england4--,see1 in the ,state ,tracts1 a piece called ,abbey ,lands not assured to ,roman ,catholics1 ,vol4 #a4 p4 #cbf2 and more especially a tract1 by some ascribed to ,burnet1 and by others to ,sir ,william ,coventry1 entitled1 ,a ,letter written to ,dr ,burnet1 giving some account of ,cardinal ,pole's secret powers2 from which it appears1 that it never was intended to confirm the ,alienation that was made of the ,abbey ,lands4 ,to which are added1 ,two ,breves that ,cardinal ,pole brought over1 and some other of his ,letters that were never before printed1 #afhe4 ,note ,,xiii4 ,such were the pleasing triumphs of the sky1 ,for ,james his late nocturnal victory2 ,the pledge of his almighty ,patron's love1 ,the fireworks which his angels made above4--,p4 #ahb4 ,the aurora borealis was an uncommon spectacle in ,england during the #agth century4 ,its occasional appearance1 however1 gave foundation to those tales of armies fighting in the air1 and similar phenomena with which the credulity of the vulgar was amused4 ,the author seems to allude to some extraordinary display of the aurora borealis on the evening of the battle of ,sedgemuir1 which was chiefly fought by night4 ,i do not find the circumstance noticed elsewhere4 ,dryden attests it by his personal evidence4 ,note ,,xiv4 ,and then the dew-drops on her silken hide ,her tender constitution did declare1 ,too lady-like a long fatigue to bear1 ,and rough inclemencies of raw nocturnal air4--,p4 #ahc4 ,this seems to be a sarcasm of the same kind with the following3 ,but1 says the zealous ,protestant of the mother church1 if you repeal the test1 you take away the bulwark that defends the church2 for if that were once demolished1 the enemy would rush in and possess all2 and it is a delicate innocent church that cannot be safe but in a fortified place4--,i must confess1 it is a great argument of her modesty to own herself weak and unable to subsist without the support of parliamentary laws1 to hang1 draw1 or quarter her opposers1 and without a coercive power in herself to fine and excommunicate all recusants and nonconformists4#ahc ,one would wish to ask this ,catholic advocate for universal toleration1 if he had ever heard of a court in ,popish countries for the prevention of heresy1 generally called the ,inquisition8 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #aha3 ,the great civil war broke out in #afda-b1 and the king was dethroned in #afdh4 ,footnote #ahb3 ,the ,freeholder's ,choice1 or a ,letter of ,advice concerning ,elections4 ,footnote #ahc3 ,new ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,a ,,poem4 ,,part ,,third4 ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,,part ,,third4 ,much malice1 mingled with a little wit1 ,perhaps may censure this mysterious writ2 ,because the muse has peopled ,caledon ,with panthers1 bears1 and wolves1 and beasts unknown1 ,as if we were not stocked with monsters of our own4 ,let sop answer1 who has set to view ,such kinds as ,greece and ,phrygia never knew2 ,and mother ,hubbard1 in her homely dress1 ,has sharply blamed a ,british lioness2 ,that queen1 whose feast the factious rabble keep1 ,exposed obscenely naked1 and asleep4#ahd ,led by those great examples1 may not ,i ,the wonted organs of their words supply8 ,if men transact like brutes1 'tis equal then ,for brutes to claim the privilege of men4 ,others our ,hind of folly will indite1 ,to entertain a dangerous guest by night4 ,let those remember1 that she cannot die1 ,till rolling time is lost in round eternity2 ,nor need she fear the ,panther1 though untamed1 ,because the ,lion's peace was now proclaimed2#ahe ,the wary savage would not give offence1 ,to forfeit the protection of her prince2 ,but watched the time her vengeance to complete1 ,when all her furry sons in frequent senate met2#ahf ,meanwhile she quenched her fury at the flood1 ,and with a lenten sallad cooled her blood4 ,their commons1 though but coarse1 were nothing scant1 ,nor did their minds an equal banquet want4 ,for now the ,hind1 whose noble nature strove ,to express her plain simplicity of love1 ,did all the honours of her house so well1 ,no sharp debates disturbed the friendly meal4 ,she turned the talk1 avoiding that extreme1 ,to common dangers past1 a sadly-pleasing theme2 ,remembering every storm which tossed the state1 ,when both were objects of the public hate1 ,and dropt a tear betwixt for her own childrens' fate4 ,nor failed she then a full review to make ,of what the ,panther suffered for her sake2 ,her lost esteem1 her truth1 her loyal care1 ,her faith unshaken to an exiled heir1 ,her strength to endure1 her courage to defy1 ,her choice of honourable infamy4#ahg ,on these1 prolixly thankful1 she enlarged2 ,then with acknowledgment herself she charged2 ,for friendship1 of itself an holy tie1 ,is made more sacred by adversity4 ,now should they part1 malicious tongues would say1 ,they met like chance companions on the way1 ,whom mutual fear of robbers had possessed2 ,while danger lasted1 kindness was professed2 ,but1 that once o'er1 the short-lived union ends1 ,the road divides1 and there divide the friends4 ,the ,panther nodded1 when her speech was done1 ,and thanked her coldly in a hollow tone2 ,but said1 her gratitude had gone too far ,for common offices of ,christian care4 ,if to the lawful heir she had been true1 ,she paid but ,csar what was ,csar's due4 ,i might1 she added1 with like praise describe ,your suffering sons1 and so return your bribe3 ,but incense from my hands is poorly prized2 ,for gifts are scorned where givers are despised4 ,i served a turn1 and then was cast away2 ,you1 like the gaudy fly1 your wings display1 ,and sip the sweets1 and bask in your great patron's day4--#ahh ,this heard1 the matron was not slow to find ,what sort of malady had seized her mind2 ,disdain1 with gnawing envy1 fell despite1 ,and cankered malice1 stood in open sight2 ,ambition1 interest1 pride without controul1 ,and jealousy1 the jaundice of the soul2 ,revenge1 the bloody minister of ill1 ,with all the lean tormentors of the will4 ',twas easy now to guess from whence arose ,her new-made union with her ancient foes2 ,her forced civilities1 her faint embrace1 ,affected kindness1 with an altered face2 ,yet durst she not too deeply probe the wound1 ,as hoping still the nobler parts were sound2 ,but strove with anodynes to assuage the smart1 ,and mildly thus her medicine did impart4 ,complaints of lovers help to ease their pain2 ,it shows a rest of kindness to complain2 ,a friendship loth to quit its former hold1 ,and conscious merit1 may be justly bold2 ,but much more just your jealousy would shew1 ,if others' good were injury to you3 ,witness1 ye heavens1 how ,i rejoice to see ,rewarded worth and rising loyalty6 ,your warrior offspring1 that upheld the crown1 ,the scarlet honour of your peaceful gown1 ,are the most pleasing objects ,i can find1 ,charms to my sight1 and cordials to my mind3 ,when virtue spooms#ahi before a prosperous gale1 ,my heaving wishes help to fill the sail2 ,and if my prayers for all the brave were heard1 ,csar should still have such1 and such should still reward4 ,the laboured earth your pains have sowed and tilled1 ',tis just you reap the product of the field3 ,yours be the harvest2 'tis the beggar's gain1 ,to glean the fallings of the loaded wain4 ,such scattered ears as are not worth your care1 ,your charity1 for alms1 may safely spare1 ,for alms are but the vehicles of prayer4 ,my daily bread is literally implored2 ,i have no barns nor granaries to hoard4 ,if ,csar to his own his hand extends1 ,say which of yours his charity offends2 ,you know1 he largely gives to more than are his friends4 ,are you defrauded1 when he feeds the poor8 ,our mite decreases nothing of your store4 ,i am but few1 and by your fare you see ,my crying sins are not of luxury4 ,some juster motive sure your mind withdraws1 ,and makes you break our friendship's holy laws2 ,for barefaced envy is too base a cause4 ,show more occasion for your discontent2 ,your love1 the ,wolf1 would help you to invent3 ,some ,german quarrel1 or1 as times go now1 ,some ,french1#aij where force is uppermost1 will do4 ,when at the fountain's head1 as merit ought ,to claim the place1 you take a swilling draught1 ,how easy 'tis an envious eye to throw1 ,and tax the sheep for troubling streams below2 ,or call her1 when no farther cause you find1 ,an enemy professed of all your kind6 ,but1 then1 perhaps1 the wicked world would think1 ,the ,wolf designed to eat as well as drink4-- ,this last allusion galled the ,panther more1 ,because1 indeed1 it rubbed upon the sore2 ,yet seemed she not to wince1 though shrewdly pained1 ,but thus her passive character maintained4 ,i never grudged1 whate'er my foes report1 ,your flaunting fortune in the ,lion's court4 ,you have your day1 or you are much belied1 ,but ,i am always on the suffering side2 ,you know my doctrine1 and ,i need not say1 ,i will not1 but ,i cannot disobey4 ,their malice too a sore suspicion brings1 ,for1 though they dare not bark1 they snarl at kings4 ,on this firm principle ,i ever stood2 ,he of my sons who fails to make it good1 ,by one rebellious act renounces to my blood4#aia ,ah1 said the ,hind1 how many sons have you1 ,who call you mother1 whom you never knew6 ,but most of them1 who that relation plead1 ,are such ungracious youths as wish you dead4 ,they gape at rich revenues which you hold1 ,and fain would nibble at your grandame gold2 ,enquire into your years1 and laugh to find ,your crazy temper shows you much declined4 ,were you not dim and doated1 you might see ,a pack of cheats that claim a pedigree1 ,no more of kin to you1 than you to me4 ,do you not know1 that1 for a little coin1 ,heralds can foist a name into the line8 ,they ask you blessing but for what you have1 ,but1 once possessed of what with care you save1 ,the wanton boys would piss upon your grave4 ,your sons of latitude1 that court your grace1 ,though most resembling you in form and face1 ,are far the worst of your pretended race2 ,and1 but ,i blush your honesty to blot1 ,pray ,god you prove them lawfully begot6 ,for1 in some ,popish libels ,i have read1 ,the ,wolf has been too busy in your bed2#aib ,at least their hinder parts1 the belly-piece1 ,the paunch1 and all that ,scorpio claims1#aic are his4 ,nor blame them for intruding in your line2 ,fat bishoprics are still of right divine4 ,think you1 your new ,french proselytes are come1 ,to starve abroad1 because they starved at home8 ,your benefices twinkled from afar1 ,they found the new ,messiah by the star2 ,those ,swisses fight on any side for pay1 ,and 'tis the living that conforms1 not they4 ,mark with what management their tribes divide2 ,some stick to you1 and some to t'other side1 ,that many churches may for many mouths provide4#aid ,more vacant pulpits would more converts make2 ,all would have latitude enough to take3 ,the rest unbeneficed your sects maintain2 ,for ordinations1 without cures1 are vain1 ,and chamber practice is a silent gain4 ,your sons of breadth at home are much like these2 ,their soft and yielding metals run with ease2 ,they melt1 and take the figure of the mould1 ,but harden and preserve it best in gold4-- ,your ,delphic sword1 the ,panther then replied1 ,is double-edged1 and cuts on either side4 ,some sons of mine1 who bear upon their shield ,three steeples argent in a sable field1 ,have sharply taxed your converts1 who1 unfed1 ,have followed you for miracles of bread2#aie ,such1 who themselves of no religion are1 ,allured with gain1 for any will declare4 ,bare lies1 with bold assertions1 they can face2 ,but dint of argument is out of place4 ,the grim logician puts them in a fright2 ',tis easier far to flourish than to fight4#aif ,thus1 our eighth ,henry's marriage they defame2 ,they say1 the schism of beds began the game1 ,divorcing from the church to wed the dame2 ,though largely proved1 and by himself professed1 ,that conscience1 conscience would not let him rest1--#aig ,i mean1 not till possessed of her he loved1 ,and old1 uncharming ,catherine was removed4 ,for sundry years before he did complain1 ,and told his ghostly confessor his pain4 ,with the same impudence1 without a ground1 ,they say1 that1 look the reformation round1 ,no treatise of humility is found4#aih ,but if none were1 the gospel does not want2 ,our ,saviour preached it1 and ,i hope you grant1 ,the sermon on the mount was protestant4-- ,no doubt1 replied the ,hind1 as sure as all ,the writings of ,saint ,peter and ,saint ,paul2 ,on that decision let it stand1 or fall4 ,now for my converts1 who1 you say1 unfed1 ,have followed me for miracles of bread4 ,judge not by hearsay1 but observe at least1 ,if since their change their loaves have been increased4 ,the ,lion buys no converts2 if he did1 ,beasts would be sold as fast as he could bid4 ,tax those of interest1 who conform for gain1 ,or stay the market of another reign3 ,your broad-way sons#aii would never be too nice ,to close with ,calvin1 if he paid their price2 ,but1 raised three steeples higher1 would change their note1 ,and quit the cassock for the canting-coat4 ,now1 if you damn this censure1 as too bold1 ,judge by yourselves1 and think not others sold4 ,meantime1 my sons accused1 by fame's report1 ,pay small attendance at the ,lion's court1 ,nor rise with early crowds1 nor flatter late2 ,for silently they beg1 who daily wait4 ,preferment is bestowed1 that comes unsought2 ,attendance is a bribe1 and then 'tis bought4 ,how they should speed1 their fortune is untried2 ,for not to ask1 is not to be denied4 ,for what they have1 their ,god and king they bless1 ,and hope they should not murmur1 had they less4 ,but if reduced subsistence to implore1 ,in common prudence they would pass your door2 ,unpitied ,hudibras1 your champion friend1#bjj ,has shown how far your charities extend4 ,this lasting verse shall on his tomb be read1 ,he shamed you living1 and upbraids you dead4 ,with odious atheist names you load your foes2 ,your liberal clergy why did ,i expose8 ,it never fails in charities like those4#bja ,in climes where true religion is professed1 ,that imputation were no laughing jest2 ,but imprimatur1 with a chaplain's name1 ,is here sufficient licence to defame4#bjb ,what wonder is't that black detraction thrives8 ,the homicide of names is less than lives2 ,and yet the perjured murderer survives4-- ,this said1 she paused a little1 and suppressed ,the boiling indignation of her breast4 ,she knew the virtue of her blade1 nor would ,pollute her satire with ignoble blood2 ,her panting foe she saw before her eye1 ,and back she drew the shining weapon dry4 ,so when the generous ,lion has in sight ,his equal match1 he rouses for the fight2 ,but when his foe lies prostrate on the plain1 ,he sheaths his paws1 uncurls his angry mane1 ,and1 pleased with bloodless honours of the day1 ,walks over1 and disdains the inglorious prey4 ,so ,james1 if great with less we may compare1 ,arrests his rolling thunder-bolts in air2 ,and grants ungrateful friends a lengthened space1 ,to implore the remnants of long-suffering grace4 ,this breathing-time the matron took2 and then ,resumed the thread of her discourse again4-- ,be vengeance wholly left to powers divine1 ,and let heaven judge betwixt your sons and mine3 ,if joys hereafter must be purchased here ,with loss of all that mortals hold so dear1 ,then welcome infamy and public shame1 ,and last1 a long farewell to worldly fame6#bjc ',tis said with ease1 but1 oh1 how hardly tried ,by haughty souls to human honour tied6 ,o sharp convulsive pangs of agonizing pride6 ,down then1 thou rebel1 never more to rise6 ,and what thou didst1 and dost1 so dearly prize1 ,that fame1 that darling fame1 make that thy sacrifice4 ',tis nothing thou hast given2 then add thy tears ,for a long race of unrepenting years3 ',tis nothing yet1 yet all thou hast to give3 ,then add those may-be years thou hast to live3 ,yet nothing still3 then poor and naked come1 ,thy father will receive his unthrift home1 ,and thy blest ,saviour's blood discharge the mighty sum4 ,thus1 she pursued1 ,i discipline a son1 ,whose unchecked fury to revenge would run2 ,he champs the bit1 impatient of his loss1 ,and starts aside1 and flounders at the cross4 ,instruct him better1 gracious ,god1 to know1 ,as thine is vengeance1 so forgiveness too2 ,that1 suffering from ill tongues1 he bears no more ,than what his sovereign bears1 and what his ,saviour bore4 ,it now remains for you to school your child1#bjd ,and ask why ,god's anointed he reviled2 ,a king and princess dead6 did ,shimei worse8 ,the curser's punishment should fright the curse2 ,your son was warned1 and wisely gave it o'er1 ,but he1 who counselled him1 has paid the score2#bje ,the heavy malice could no higher tend1 ,but woe to him on whom the weights descend4 ,so to permitted ills the demon flies2 ,his rage is aimed at him who rules the skies3 ,constrained to quit his cause1 no succour found1 ,the foe discharges every tire around1 ,in clouds of smoke abandoning the fight1 ,but his own thundering peals proclaim his flight4 ,in ,henry's change his charge as ill succeeds2 ,to that long story little answer needs2 ,confront but ,henry's words with ,henry's deeds4 ,were space allowed1 with ease it might be proved1 ,what springs his blessed reformation moved4 ,the dire effects appeared in open sight1 ,which from the cause he calls a distant flight1 ,and yet no larger leap than from the sun to light4 ,now last your sons a double pan sound1 ,a treatise of humility is found4 ',tis found1 but better it had ne'er been sought1 ,than thus in ,protestant procession brought4 ,the famed original through ,spain is known1 ,rodriguez' work1 my celebrated son1 ,which yours1 by ill-translating1 made his own2#bjf ,concealed its author1 and usurped the name1 ,the basest and ignoblest theft of fame4 ,my altars kindled first that living coal2 ,restore1 or practise better what you stole2 ,that virtue could this humble verse inspire1 ',tis all the restitution ,i require4-- ,glad was the ,panther that the charge was closed1 ,and none of all her favourite sons exposed2 for laws of arms permit each injured man1 ,to make himself a saver where he can4 ,perhaps the plundered merchant cannot tell ,the names of pirates in whose hands he fell2 ,but at the den of thieves he justly flies1 ,and every ,algerine is lawful prize2 ,no private person in the foe's estate ,can plead exemption from the public fate4 ,yet ,christian laws allow not such redress2 ,then let the greater supersede the less4 ,but let the abettors of the ,panther's crime ,learn to make fairer wars another time4 ,some characters may sure be found to write ,among her sons2 for 'tis no common sight1 ,a spotted dam1 and all her offspring white4 ,the savage1 though she saw her plea controuled1 ,yet would not wholly seem to quit her hold1 ,but offered fairly to compound the strife1 ,and judge conversion by the convert's life4 ',tis true1 she said1 ,i think it somewhat strange1 ,so few should follow profitable change2 ,for present joys are more to flesh and blood1 ,than a dull prospect of a distant good4 ',twas well alluded by a son of mine1 7,i hope to quote him is not to purloin17 ,two magnets1 heaven and earth1 allure to bliss2 ,the larger loadstone that1 the nearer this3 ,the weak attraction of the greater fails2 ,we nod a while1 but neighbourhood prevails2 ,but when the greater proves the nearer too1 ,i wonder more your converts come so slow4 ,methinks in those who firm with me remain1 ,it shows a nobler principle than gain4-- ,your inference would be strong1 the ,hind replied1 ,if yours were in effect the suffering side2 ,your clergy's sons their own in peace possess1 ,nor are their prospects in reversion less4 ,my proselytes are struck with awful dread1 ,your bloody comet-laws hang blazing o'er their head2 ,the respite they enjoy but only lent1 ,the best they have to hope1 protracted punishment4#bjg ,be judge yourself1 if interest may prevail1 ,which motives1 yours or mine1 will turn the scale4 ,while pride and pomp allure1 and plenteous ease1 ,that is1 till man's predominant passions cease1 ,admire no longer at my slow increase4 ,by education most have been misled2 ,so they believe1 because they so were bred4 ,the priest continues what the nurse began1 ,and thus the child imposes on the man4 ,the rest ,i named before1 nor need repeat2 ,but interest is the most prevailing cheat1 ,the sly seducer both of age and youth2 ,they study that1 and think they study truth4 ,when interest fortifies an argument1 ,weak reason serves to gain the will's assent2 ,for souls1 already warped1 receive an easy bent4 ,add long prescription of established laws1 ,and pique of honour to maintain a cause1 ,and shame of change1 and fear of future ill1 ,and zeal1 the blind conductor of the will2 ,and chief1 among the still-mistaking crowd1 ,the fame of teachers obstinate and proud1 ,and1 more than all1 the private judge allowed2 ,disdain of fathers which the dance began1 ,and last1 uncertain whose the narrower span1 ,the clown unread1 and half-read gentleman4-- ,to this the ,panther1 with a scornful smile2-- ,yet still you travel with unwearied toil1 ,and range around the realm without controul1 ,among my sons for proselytes to prowl2 ,and here and there you snap some silly soul4 ,you hinted fears of future change in state2 ,pray heaven you did not prophesy your fate6 ,perhaps1 you think your time of triumph near1 ,but may mistake the season of the year2 ,the ,swallow's fortune gives you cause to fear4--#bjh ,for charity1 replied the matron1 tell ,what sad mischance those pretty birds befel4-- ,nay1 no mischance1 the savage dame replied1 ,but want of wit in their unerring guide1 ,and eager haste1 and gaudy hopes1 and giddy pride4 ,yet1 wishing timely warning may prevail1 ,make you the moral1 and ,i'll tell the tale4 ,the ,swallow1 privileged above the rest ,of all the birds1 as man's familiar guest1 ,pursues the sun1 in summer brisk and bold1 ,but wisely shuns the persecuting cold2 ,is well to chancels and to chimnies known1 ,though 'tis not thought she feeds on smoke alone4 ,from hence she has been held of heavenly line1 ,endued with particles of soul divine4 ,this merry chorister had long possessed ,her summer-seat1 and feathered well her nest2 ,till frowning skies began to change their cheer1 ,and time turned up the wrong side of the year2 ,the shading trees began the ground to strow ,with yellow leaves1 and bitter blasts to blow4 ,sad auguries of winter thence she drew1 ,which by instinct1 or prophecy1 she knew2 ,when prudence warned her to remove betimes1 ,and seek a better heaven1 and warmer climes4 ,her sons were summoned on a steeple's height1 ,and1 called in common council1 vote a flight4 ,the day was named1 the next that should be fair2 ,all to the general rendezvous repair1 ,they try their fluttering wings1 and trust themselves in air4 ,but whether upward to the moon they go1 ,or dream the winter out in caves below1 ,or hawk at flies elsewhere1 concerns us not to know4 ,southwards you may be sure they bent their flight1 ,and harboured in a hollow rock at night2 ,next morn they rose1 and set up every sail2 ,the wind was fair1 but blew a mackrel gale2 ,the sickly young sat shivering on the shore1 ,abhorred salt-water never seen before4 ,and prayed their tender mothers to delay ,the passage1 and expect a fairer day4 ,with these the ,martin readily concurred1 ,a church bigot1 and church-believing bird2 ,of little body1 but of lofty mind1 ,round bellied1 for a dignity designed1 ,and much a dunce1 as ,martins are by kind2 ,yet often quoted canon-laws1 and code1 ,and fathers which he never understood2 ,but little learning needs in noble blood4 ,for1 sooth to say1 the ,swallow brought him in1 ,her household chaplain1 and her next of kin2 ,in superstition silly to excess1 ,and casting schemes by planetary guess2 ,in fine1 short-winged1 unfit himself to fly1 ,his fear foretold foul weather in the sky4 ,besides1 a ,raven from a withered oak1#bji ,left of their lodging1 was observed to croak4 ,that omen liked him not2 so his advice ,was present safety1 bought at any price2 ,a seeming pious care1 that covered cowardice4 ,to strengthen this1 he told a boding dream1 ,of rising waters1 and a troubled stream1 ,sure signs of anguish1 dangers1 and distress1 ,with something more1 not lawful to express3 ,by which he slily seemed to intimate ,some secret revelation of their fate4 ,for he concluded1 once upon a time1 ,he found a leaf inscribed with sacred rhyme1 ,whose antique characters did well denote ,the ,sibyl's hand of the ,cuman grot2 ,the mad divineress had plainly writ1 ,a time should come1 but many ages yet1 ,in which1 sinister destinies ordain1 ,a dame should drown with all her feathered train1 ,and seas from thence be called the ,chelidonian main4#baj ,at this1 some shook for fear2 the more devout ,arose1 and blessed themselves from head to foot4 ',tis true1 some stagers of the wiser sort ,made all these idle wonderments their sport2 ,they said1 their only danger was delay1 ,and he1 who heard what every fool could say1 ,would never fix his thought1 but trim his time away4 ,the passage yet was good2 the wind1 'tis true1 ,was somewhat high1 but that was nothing new1 ,no more than usual equinoxes blew4 ,the sun1 already from the ,scales declined1 ,gave little hopes of better days behind1 ,but change from bad to worse1 of weather and of wind4 ,nor need they fear the dampness of the sky ,should flag their wings1 and hinder them to fly1 ',twas only water thrown on sails too dry4 ,but1 least of all1 philosophy presumes ,of truth in dreams1 from melancholy fumes2 ,perhaps the ,martin1 housed in holy ground1 ,might think of ghosts1 that walk their midnight round1 ,till grosser atoms1 tumbling in the stream ,of fancy1 madly met1 and clubbed into a dream3 ,as little weight his vain presages bear1 ,of ill effect to such alone who fear2 ,most prophecies are of a piece with these1 ,each ,nostradamus can foretel with ease3 ,not naming persons1 and confounding times1 ,one casual truth supports a thousand lying rhymes4 ,the advice was true2 but fear had seized the most1 ,and all good counsel is on cowards lost4 ,the question crudely put to shun delay1 ',twas carried by the major part to stay4 ,his point thus gained1 ,sir ,martin dated thence ,his power1 and from a priest became a prince4 ,he ordered all things with a busy care1 ,and cells and refectories did prepare1 ,and large provisions laid of winter fare2 ,but1 now and then1 let fall a word or two1 ,of hope1 that heaven some miracle might show1 ,and for their sakes1 the sun should backward go2 ,against the laws of nature upward climb1 ,and1 mounted on the ,ram1 renew the prime2 ,for which two proofs in sacred story lay1 ,of ,ahaz' dial1 and of ,joshua's day4 ,in expectation of such times as these1 ,a chapel housed them1 truly called of ease2 ,for ,martin much devotion did not ask2 ,they prayed sometimes1 and that was all their task4 ,it happened1 as beyond the reach of wit ,blind prophecies may have a lucky hit1 ,that this accomplished1 or at least in part1 ,gave great repute to their new ,merlin's art4 ,some ,swifts1#baa the giants of the ,swallow kind1 ,large limbed1 stout-hearted1 but of stupid mind1 7,for ,swisses1 or for ,gibeonites designed1 ,these lubbers1 peeping through a broken pane1 ,to suck fresh air1 surveyed the neighbouring plain1 ,and saw1 but scarcely could believe their eyes1 ,new blossoms flourish1 and new flowers arise2 ,as ,god had been abroad1 and1 walking there1 ,had left his footsteps1 and reformed the year4 ,the sunny hills from far were seen to glow ,with glittering beams1 and in the meads below ,the burnished brooks appeared with liquid gold to flow4 ,at last they heard the foolish ,cuckow sing1 ,whose note proclaimed the holiday of spring4 ,no longer doubting1 all prepare to fly1 ,and repossess their patrimonial sky4 ,the priest before them did his wings display2 ,and that good omens might attend their way1 ,as luck would have it1 'twas ,st ,martin's day4 ,who but the ,swallow now triumphs alone8 ,the canopy of heaven is all her own2 ,her youthful offspring to their haunts repair1 ,and glide along in glades1 and skim in air1 ,and dip for insects in the purling springs1 ,and stoop on rivers to refresh their wings4 ,their mothers think a fair provision made1 ,that every son can live upon his trade1 ,and1 now the careful charge is off their hands1 ,look out for husbands1 and new nuptial bands4 ,the youthful widow longs to be supplied2 ,but first the lover is by lawyers tied1 ,to settle jointure-chimnies on the bride4 ,so thick they couple in so short a space1 ,that ,martin's marriage-offerings rise apace4 ,their ancient houses1 running to decay1 ,are furbished up1 and cemented with clay3 ,they teem already2 store of eggs are laid1 ,and brooding mothers call ,lucina's aid4 ,fame spreads the news1 and foreign fowls appear1 ,in flocks1 to greet the new returning year1 ,to bless the founder1 and partake the cheer4 ,and now 'twas time1 so fast their numbers rise1 ,to plant abroad and people colonies4 ,the youth drawn forth1 as ,martin had desired1 7,for so their cruel destiny required17 ,were sent far off on an ill-fated day2 ,the rest would needs conduct them on their way1 ,and ,martin went1 because he feared alone to stay4 ,so long they flew with inconsiderate haste1 ,that now their afternoon began to waste2 ,and1 what was ominous1 that very morn ,the sun was entered into ,capricorn2 ,which1 by their bad astronomer's account1 ,that week the ,virgin balance should remount4 ,an infant moon eclipsed him in his way1 ,and hid the small remainders of his day4 ,the crowd1 amazed1 pursued no certain mark1 ,but birds met birds1 and jostled in the dark4#bab ,few mind the public1 in a panic fright1 ,and fear increased the horror of the night4 ,night came1 but unattended with repose2 ,alone she came1 no sleep their eyes to close2 ,alone1 and black she came2 no friendly stars arose4 ,what should they do1 beset with dangers round1 ,no neighbouring dorp1#bac no lodging to be found1 ,but bleaky plains1 and bare1 unhospitable ground8 ,the latter brood1 who just began to fly1 ,sick-feathered1 and unpractised in the sky1 ,for succour to their helpless mother call3 ,she spread her wings2 some few beneath them crawl2 ,she spread them wider yet1 but could not cover all4 ,to augment their woes1 the winds began to move1 ,debate in air for empty fields above1 ,till ,boreas got the skies1 and poured amain ,his rattling hailstones1 mixed with snow and rain4 ,the joyless morning late arose1 and found ,a dreadful desolation reign around1 ,some buried in the snow1 some frozen to the ground4 ,the rest were struggling still with death1 and lay ,the ,crows and ,ravens rights an undefended prey3 ,excepting ,martin's race2 for they and he ,had gained the shelter of a hollow tree2 ,but1 soon discovered by a sturdy clown1 ,he headed all the rabble of a town1 ,and finished them with bats1 or polled them down4 ,martin himself was caught alive1 and tried ,for treasonous crimes1 because the laws provide ,no ,martin there in winter shall abide4 ,high on an oak1 which never leaf shall bear1 ,he breathed his last1 exposed to open air2 ,and there his corpse unblessed is hanging still1 ,to show the change of winds with his prophetic bill4--#bad ,the patience of the ,hind did almost fail1 ,for well she marked the malice of the tale2 ,which ribbald art their church to ,luther owes2 ,in malice it began1 by malice grows2 ,he sowed the serpent's teeth1 an iron harvest rose4 ,but most in ,martin's character and fate1 ,she saw her slandered sons1 the ,panther's hate1 ,the people's rage1 the persecuting state3#bae ,then said1 ,i take the advice in friendly part2 ,you clear your conscience1 or at least your heart4 ,perhaps you failed in your foreseeing skill1 ,for ,swallows are unlucky birds to kill3 ,as for my sons1 the family is blessed1 ,whose every child is equal to the rest2 ,no church reformed can boast a blameless line1 ,such ,martins build in yours1 and more than mine2 ,or else an old fanatic author lies1 ,who summed their scandals up by centuries4#baf ,but through your parable ,i plainly see ,the bloody laws1 the crowd's barbarity2 ,the sunshine1 that offends the purblind sight1 ,had some their wishes1 it would soon be night4#bag ,mistake me not2 the charge concerns not you2 ,your sons are malecontents1 but yet are true1 ,as far as non-resistance makes them so2 ,but that's a word of neutral sense1 you know1 ,a passive term1 which no relief will bring1 ,but trims betwixt a rebel and a king4-- ,rest well assured1 the ,pardelis replied1 ,my sons would all support the regal side1 ,though heaven forbid the cause by battle should be tried4-- ,the matron answered with a loud ,amen1 ,and thus pursued her arguments again3-- ,if1 as you say1 and as ,i hope no less1 ,your sons will practise what yourselves profess1 ,what angry power prevents our present peace8 ,the ,lion1 studious of our common good1 ,desires 7and kings' desires are ill withstood7 ,to join our nations in a lasting love2 ,the bars betwixt are easy to remove1 ,for sanguinary laws were never made above4#bag;a ,if you condemn that prince of tyranny1 ,whose mandate forced your ,gallic friends to fly1#bah ,make not a worse example of your own1 ,or cease to rail at causeless rigour shown1 ,and let the guiltless person throw the stone4 ,his blunted sword your suffering brotherhood ,have seldom felt2 he stops it short of blood3 ,but you have ground the persecuting knife1 ,and set it to a razor-edge on life4 ,cursed be the wit1 which cruelty refines1 ,or to his father's rod the scorpion joins6 ,your finger is more gross than the great monarch's loins4 ,but you1 perhaps1 remove that bloody note1 ,and stick it on the first reformers' coat4 ,oh let their crime in long oblivion sleep2 ',twas theirs indeed to make1 'tis yours to keep6 ,unjust1 or just1 is all the question now2 ',tis plain1 that1 not repealing1 you allow4 ,to name the ,test would put you in a rage2 ,you charge not that on any former age1 ,but smile to think how innocent you stand1 ,armed by a weapon put into your hand4 ,yet still remember1 that you wield a sword1 ,forged by your foes against your sovereign lord2 ,designed to hew the imperial cedar down1 ,defraud succession1 and dis-heir the crown4#bai ,to abhor the makers1 and their laws approve1 ,is to hate traitors1 and the treason love4 ,what means it else1 which now your children say1 ,we made it not1 nor will we take away8 ,suppose some great oppressor had1 by slight ,of law1 disseised your brother of his right1 ,your common sire surrendering in a fright2 ,would you to that unrighteous title stand1 ,left by the villain's will to heir the land8 ,more just was ,judas1 who his ,saviour sold2 ,the sacrilegious bribe he could not hold1 ,nor hang in peace1 before he rendered back the gold4 ,what more could you have done1 than now you do1 ,had ,oates and ,bedlow and their plot been true8 ,some specious reasons for those wrongs were found2 ,the dire magicians threw their mists around1 ,and wise men walked as on enchanted ground4 ,but now when time has made the imposture plain1 7,late though he followed truth1 and limping held her train1 ,what new delusion charms your cheated eyes again8 ,the painted harlot might a while bewitch1 ,but why the hag uncased1 and all obscene with itch8#bbj ,the first reformers were a modest race2 ,our peers possessed in peace their native place1 ,and when rebellious arms o'erturned the state1 ,they suffered only in the common fate2 ,but now the sovereign mounts the regal chair1 ,and mitred seats are full1 yet ,david's bench is bare4#bba ,your answer is1 they were not dispossest2 ,they need but rub their mettle on the ,test ,to prove their ore2--'twere well if gold alone ,were touched and tried on your discerning stone2 ,but that unfaithful test unfound will pass ,the dross of ,atheists1 and sectarian brass2 ,as if the experiment were made to hold ,for base production1 and reject the gold4 ,thus men ungodded may to places rise1 ,and sects may be preferred without disguise2 ,no danger to the church or state from these1 ,the ,papist only has his writ of ease4 ,no gainful office gives him the pretence ,to grind the subject1 or defraud the prince4 ,wrong conscience1 or no conscience1 may deserve ,to thrive1 but ours alone is privileged to starve4 ,still thank yourselves1 you cry2 your noble race ,we banish not1 but they forsake the place2 ,our doors are open3--true1 but ere they come1 ,you toss your 'censing test1 and fume the room2 ,as if 'twere ,toby's rival to expel1 ,and fright the fiend who could not bear the smell4#bbb ,to this the ,panther sharply had replied1 ,but having gained a verdict on her side1 ,she wisely gave the loser leave to chide2 ,well satisfied to have the but and peace1#bbc ,and for the plaintiff's cause she cared the less1 ,because she sued in forma pauperis2 ,yet thought it decent something should be said1 ,for secret guilt by silence is betrayed2 ,so neither granted all1 nor much denied1 ,but answered with a yawning kind of pride3 ,methinks such terms of proffered peace you bring1 ,as once neas to the ,italian king3#bbd ,by long possession all the land is mine2 ,you strangers come with your intruding line1 ,to share my sceptre1 which you call to join4 ,you plead like him an ancient pedigree1 ,and claim a peaceful seat by fate's decree4 ,in ready pomp your sacrificer stands1 ,to unite the ,trojan and the ,latin bands2 ,and1 that the league more firmly may be tied1 ,demand the fair ,lavinia for your bride4 ,thus plausibly you veil the intended wrong1 ,but still you bring your exiled gods along2 ,and will endeavour1 in succeeding space1 ,those household puppets on our hearths to place4 ,perhaps some barbarous laws have been preferred2 ,i spake against the ,test1 but was not heard4 ,these to rescind1 and peerage to restore1 ,my gracious sovereign would my vote implore2 ,i owe him much1 but owe my conscience more4-- ,conscience is then your plea1 replied the dame1 ,which1 well-informed1 will ever be the same4 ,but yours is much of the camelion hue1 ,to change the dye with every distant view4 ,when first the ,lion sat with awful sway1 ,your conscience taught your duty to obey3#bbe ,he might have had your statutes and your ,test2 ,no conscience but of subjects was professed4 ,he found your temper1 and no farther tried1 ,but on that broken reed1 your church1 relied4 ,in vain the sects essayed their utmost art1 ,with offered treasure to espouse their part2 ,their treasures were a bribe too mean to move his heart4 ,but when1 by long experience1 you had proved1 ,how far he could forgive1 how well he loved2 7,a goodness that excelled his godlike race1 ,and only short of heaven's unbounded grace2 ,a flood of mercy that o'erflowed our isle1 ,calm in the rise1 and fruitful as the ,nile17 ,forgetting whence your ,egypt was supplied1 ,you thought your sovereign bound to send the tide2 ,nor upward looked on that immortal spring1 ,but vainly deemed1 he durst not be a king4 ,then ,conscience1 unrestrained by fear1 began ,to stretch her limits1 and extend the span2 ,did his indulgence as her gift dispose1 ,and made a wise alliance with her foes4#bbf ,can ,conscience own the associating name1 ,and raise no blushes to conceal her shame8 ,for sure she has been thought a bashful dame4 ,but if the cause by battle should be tried1 ,you grant she must espouse the regal side2 ,o ,proteus conscience1 never to be tied6 ,what ,phbus from the ,tripod shall disclose1 ,which are1 in last resort1 your friends or foes8 ,homer1 who learned the language of the sky1 ,the seeming ,gordian knot would soon untie2 ,immortal powers the term of ,conscience know1#bbg ,but ,interest is her name with men below4-- ,conscience or ,interest be't1 or both in one1 7,the ,panther answered in a surly tone27 ,the first commands me to maintain the crown1 ,the last forbids to throw my barriers down4 ,our penal laws no sons of yours admit1 ,our ,test excludes your tribe from benefit4 ,these are my banks your ocean to withstand1 ,which1 proudly rising1 overlooks the land1 ,and1 once let in1 with unresisted sway1 ,would sweep the pastors and their flocks away4 ,think not my judgment leads me to comply ,with laws unjust1 but hard necessity3 ,imperious need1 which cannot be withstood1 ,makes ill authentic1 for a greater good4 ,possess your soul with patience1 and attend2 ,a more auspicious planet may ascend2#bbh ,good fortune may present some happier time1 ,with means to cancel my unwilling crime2 7,unwilling1 witness all ye powers above67 ,to mend my errors1 and redeem your love3 ,that little space you safely may allow2 ,your all-dispensing power protects you now4#bbi ,hold1 said the ,hind1 'tis needless to explain2 ,you would postpone me to another reign2 ,till when1 you are content to be unjust3 ,your part is to possess1 and mine to trust2 ,a fair exchange proposed1 of future chance ,for present profit and inheritance4 ,few words will serve to finish our dispute2 ,who will not now repeal1 would persecute4 ,to ripen green revenge your hopes attend1 ,wishing that happier planet would ascend4#bcj ,for shame1 let ,conscience be your plea no more2 ,to will hereafter1 proves she might before2 ,but she's a bawd to gain1 and holds the door4 ,your care about your banks infers a fear#bca ,of threatening floods and inundations near2 ,if so1 a just reprise would only be ,of what the land usurped upon the sea2 ,and all your jealousies but serve to show1 ,your ground is1 like your neighbour-nation1 low4 ,to intrench in what you grant unrighteous laws1 ,is to distrust the justice of your cause2 ,and argues1 that the true religion lies ,in those weak adversaries you despise4 ,tyrannic force is that which least you fear2 ,the sound is frightful in a ,christian's ear3 ,avert it1 heaven6 nor let that plague be sent ,to us from the dispeopled continent4 ,but piety commands me to refrain2 ,those prayers are needless in this monarch's reign4 ,behold how he protects your friends oppressed1 ,receives the banished1 succours the distressed6#bcb ,behold1 for you may read an honest open breast4 ,he stands in day-light1 and disdains to hide ,an act1 to which by honour he is tied1 ,a generous1 laudable1 and kingly pride4 ,your ,test he would repeal1 his peers restore2 ,this when he says he means1 he means no more4 ,well1 said the ,panther1 ,i believe him just1 ,and yet---- --,and yet1 'tis but because you must2 ,you would be trusted1 but you would not trust4-- ,the ,hind thus briefly2 and disdained to enlarge ,on power of kings1 and their superior charge1 ,as heaven's trustees before the people's choice2 ,though sure the ,panther did not much rejoice ,to hear those echoes given of her once loyal voice4 ,the matron wooed her kindness to the last1 ,but could not win2 her hour of grace was past4 ,whom1 thus persisting1 when she could not bring ,to leave the ,wolf1 and to believe her king1 ,she gave her up1 and fairly wished her joy ,of her late treaty with her new ally3 ,which well she hoped would more successful prove1 ,than was the ,pigeon's and the ,buzzard's love4 ,the ,panther asked1 what concord there could be ,betwixt two kinds whose natures disagree8 ,the dame replied3 ',tis sung in every street1 ,the common chat of gossips when they meet2 ,but1 since unheard by you1 'tis worth your while ,to take a wholesome tale1 though told in homely style4 ,a plain good man1 whose name is understood1#bcc 7,so few deserve the name of plain and good17 ,of three fair lineal lordships stood possessed1 ,and lived1 as reason was1 upon the best4 ,inured to hardships from his early youth1 ,much had he done and suffered for his truth3 ,at land and sea1 in many a doubtful fight1 ,was never known a more adventurous knight1 ,who oftener drew his sword1 and always for the right4 ,as fortune would1 7his fortune came1 though late17 ,he took possession of his just estate2 ,nor racked his tenants with increase of rent1 ,nor lived too sparing1 nor too largely spent1 ,but overlooked his hinds2 their pay was just1 ,and ready1 for he scorned to go on trust3 ,slow to resolve1 but in performance quick2 ,so true1 that he was awkward at a trick4 ,for little souls on little shifts rely1 ,and cowards arts of mean expedients try2 ,the noble mind will dare do any thing but lie4 ,false friends1 his deadliest foes1 could find no way1 ,but shows of honest bluntness1 to betray2 ,that unsuspected plainness he believed2 ,he looked into himself1 and was deceived4 ,some lucky planet sure attends his birth1 ,or heaven would make a miracle on earth2 ,for prosperous honesty is seldom seen ,to bear so dead a weight1 and yet to win4 ,it looks as fate with nature's law would strive1 ,to show plain-dealing once an age may thrive2 ,and1 when so tough a frame she could not bend1 ,exceeded her commission1 to befriend4 ,this grateful man1 as heaven increased his store1 ,gave ,god again1 and daily fed his poor4 ,his house with all convenience was purveyed2 ,the rest he found1 but raised the fabric where he prayed2#bcd ,and in that sacred place his beauteous wife ,employed her happiest hours of holy life4 ,nor did their alms extend to those alone1 ,whom common faith more strictly made their own2 ,a sort of ,doves#bce were housed too near their hall1 ,who cross the proverb1 and abound with gall4 ,though some1 'tis true1 are passively inclined1 ,the greater part degenerate from their kind2 ,voracious birds1 that hotly bill and breed1 ,and largely drink1 because on salt they feed4 ,small gain from them their bounteous owner draws2 ,yet1 bound by promise1 he supports their cause1 ,as corporations privileged by laws4 ,that house1 which harbour to their kind affords1 ,was built long since1 ,god knows1 for better birds2 ,but fluttering there1 they nestle near the throne1 ,and lodge in habitations not their own1 ,by their high crops and corny gizzards known4 ,like ,harpies1 they could scent a plenteous board1 ,then to be sure they never failed their lord3 ,the rest was form1 and bare attendance paid2 ,they drunk1 and eat1 and grudgingly obeyed4 ,the more they fed1 they ravened still the more2 ,they drained from ,dan1 and left ,beersheba poor4 ,all this they had by law1 and none repined2 ,the preference was but due to ,levi's kind3 ,but when some lay-preferment fell by chance1 ,the ,gourmands made it their inheritance4 ,when once possessed1 they never quit their claim1 ,for then 'tis sanctified to heaven's high name2 ,and hallowed thus1 they cannot give consent1 ,the gift should be profaned by worldly management4 ,their flesh was never to the table served1 ,though 'tis not thence inferred the birds were starved2 ,but that their master did not like the food1 ,as rank1 and breeding melancholy blood4 ,nor did it with his gracious nature suit1 ,e'en though they were not doves1 to persecute3 ,yet he refused1 7nor could they take offence17 ,their glutton kind should teach him abstinence4 ,nor consecrated grain their wheat he thought1 ,which1 new from treading1 in their bills they brought2 ,but left his hinds each in his private power1 ,that those who like the bran might leave the flower4 ,he for himself1 and not for others1 chose1 ,nor would he be imposed on1 nor impose2 ,but in their faces his devotion paid1 ,and sacrifice with solemn rites was made1 ,and sacred incense on his altars laid4 ,besides these jolly birds1 whose corpse impure ,repaid their commons with their salt manure1 ,another farm he had behind his house1 ,not overstocked1 but barely for his use2 ,wherein his poor domestic poultry fed1 ,and from his pious hands received their bread4#bcf ,our pampered ,pigeons1 with malignant eyes1 ,beheld these inmates1 and their nurseries2 ,though hard their fare1 at evening1 and at morn1 7,a cruise of water and an ear of corn17 ,yet still they grudged that modicum1 and thought ,a sheaf in every single grain was brought4 ,fain would they filch that little food away1 ,while unrestrained those happy gluttons prey2 ,and much they grieved to see so nigh their hall1 ,the bird that warned ,st ,peter of his fall2#bcg ,that he should raise his mitred crest on high1 ,and clap his wings1 and call his family ,to sacred rites2 and vex the ,ethereal powers ,with midnight mattins at uncivil hours2 ,nay more1 his quiet neighbours should molest1 ,just in the sweetness of their morning rest4 ,beast of a bird1 supinely when he might ,lie snug and sleep1 to rise before the light6 ,what if his dull forefathers used that cry1 ,could he not let a bad example die8 ,the world was fallen into an easier way2 ,this age knew better than to fast and pray4 ,good sense in sacred worship would appear1 ,so to begin1 as they might end the year4 ,such feats in former times had wrought the falls ,of crowing chanticleers in cloistered walls4 ,expelled for this1 and for their lands1 they fled2 ,and sister ,partlet1 with her hooded head1#bch ,was hooted hence1 because she would not pray a-bed4 ,the way to win the restiff world to ,god1 ,was to lay by the disciplining rod1 ,unnatural fasts1 and foreign forms of prayer2 ,religion frights us with a mein severe4 ',tis prudence to reform her into ease1 ,and put her in undress1 to make her please2 ,a lively faith will bear aloft the mind1 ,and leave the luggage of good works behind4 ,such doctrines in the ,pigeon-house were taught2 ,you need not ask how wondrously they wrought2 ,but sure the common cry was all for these1 ,whose life and precepts both encouraged ease4 ,yet fearing those alluring baits might fail1 ,and holy deeds o'er all their arts prevail1 7,for vice1 though frontless1 and of hardened face1 ,is daunted at the sight of awful grace17 ,an hideous figure of their foes they drew1 ,nor lines1 nor looks1 nor shades1 nor colours true2 ,and this grotesque design exposed to public view4#bci ,one would have thought it some ,egyptian piece1 ,with garden-gods1 and barking deities1 ,more thick than ,ptolemy has stuck the skies4 ,all so perverse a draught1 so far unlike1 ,it was no libel where it meant to strike4 ,yet still the daubing pleased1 and great and small1 ,to view the monster1 crowded ,pigeon-hall4 ,there ,chanticleer was drawn upon his knees1 ,adorning shrines1 and stocks of sainted trees2#bdj ,and by him1 a mishapen1 ugly race1 ,the curse of ,god was seen on every face3 ,no ,holland emblem could that malice mend1#bda ,but still the worse the look1 the fitter for a fiend4 ,the master of the farm1 displeased to find ,so much of rancour in so mild a kind1 ,enquired into the cause1 and came to know1 ,the passive church had struck the foremost blow2 ,with groundless fears1 and jealousies possest1 ,as if this troublesome intruding guest ,would drive the birds of ,venus#bdb from their nest4 ,a deed his inborn equity abhorred2 ,but interest will not trust1 though ,god should plight his word4 ,a law1 the source of many future harms1 ,had banished all the poultry from the farms2 ,with loss of life1 if any should be found ,to crow or peck on this forbidden ground4 ,that bloody statute chiefly was designed ,for ,chanticleer the white1 of clergy kind2#bdc ,but after-malice did not long forget ,the lay that wore the robe and coronet4#bdd ,for them1 for their inferiors and allies1 ,their foes a deadly ,shibboleth devise2 ,by which unrighteously it was decreed1 ,that none to trust1 or profit1 should succeed1 ,who would not swallow first a poisonous wicked weed2 ,or that1 to which old ,socrates was cursed1#bde ,or henbane juice to swell them till they burst4 ,the patron1 as in reason1 thought it hard ,to see this inquisition in his yard1 ,by which the sovereign was of subjects' use debarred4 ,all gentle means he tried1 which might withdraw ,the effects of so unnatural a law2 ,but still the dove-house obstinately stood ,deaf to their own1 and to their neighbours' good2 ,and which was worse1 if any worse could be1 ,repented of their boasted loyalty2 ,now made the champions of a cruel cause1 ,and drunk with fumes of popular applause3 ,for those whom ,god to ruin has designed1 ,he fits for fate1 and first destroys their mind4#bdf ,new doubts indeed they daily strove to raise1 ,suggested dangers1 interposed delays1 ,and emissary ,pigeons had in store1 ,such as the ,meccan prophet used of yore1#bdg ,to whisper counsels in their patron's ear1 ,and veiled their false advice with zealous fear4 ,the master smiled to see them work in vain1 ,to wear him out1 and make an idle reign3 ,he saw1 but suffered their protractive arts1 ,and strove by mildness to reduce their hearts2 ,but they abused that grace to make allies1 ,and fondly closed with former enemies2 ,for fools are doubly fools1 endeavouring to be wise4 ,after a grave consult what course were best1 ,one1 more mature in folly than the rest1 ,stood up1 and told them1 with his head aside1 ,that desperate cures must be to desperate ills applied3 ,and therefore1 since their main impending fear ,was from the increasing race of ,chanticleer1 ,some potent bird of prey they ought to find1 ,a foe professed to him1 and all his kind3 ,some hagard ,hawk1 who had her eyry nigh1 ,well pounced to fasten1 and well winged to fly2 ,one they might trust1 their common wrongs to wreak4 ,the ,musquet and the ,coystrel were too weak1 ,too fierce the ,falcon2 but1 above the rest1 ,the noble ,buzzard#bdh ever pleased me best3 ,of small renown1 'tis true2 for1 not to lie1 ,we call him but a ,hawk by courtesy4 ,i know he hates the ,pigeon-house and ,farm1 ,and more1 in time of war1 has done us harm3 ,but all his hate on trivial points depends2 ,give up our forms1 and we shall soon be friends4 ,for ,pigeons' flesh he seems not much to care2 ,cram'd ,chickens are a more delicious fare4 ,on this high potentate1 without delay1 ,i wish you would confer the sovereign sway2 ,petition him to accept the government1 ,and let a splendid embassy be sent4 ,this pithy speech prevailed1 and all agreed1 ,old enmities forgot1 the ,buzzard should succeed4 ,their welcome suit was granted1 soon as heard1 ,his lodgings furnished1 and a train prepared1 ,with ,b's upon their breast1 appointed for his guard4 ,he came1 and1 crowned with great solemnity1 ,god save king ,buzzard6 was the general cry4 ,a portly prince1 and goodly to the sight1 ,he seemed a son of ,anach for his height3 ,like those whom stature did to crowns prefer1 ,black-browed1 and bluff1 like ,homer's ,jupiter2 ,broad-backed1 and brawny-built for love's delight1 ,a prophet formed to make a female proselyte2#bdi ,a theologue more by need than genial bent1 ,by breeding sharp1 by nature confident4 ,interest in all his actions was discerned2 ,more learned than honest1 more a wit than learned2 ,or forced by fear1 or by his profit led1 ,or both conjoined1 his native clime he fled2 ,but brought the virtues of his heaven along1 ,a fair behaviour1 and a fluent tongue4 ,and yet with all his arts he could not thrive1 ,the most unlucky parasite alive2 ,loud praises to prepare his paths he sent1 ,and then himself pursued his compliment2 ,but by reverse of fortune chased away1 ,his gifts no longer than their author stay2 ,he shakes the dust against the ungrateful race1 ,and leaves the stench of ordures in the place4 ,oft has he flattered and blasphemed the same2 ,for in his rage he spares no sovereign's name3 ,the hero and the tyrant change their style1 ,by the same measure that they frown or smile4#bej ,when well received by hospitable foes1 ,the kindness he returns1 is to expose2 ,for courtesies1 though undeserved and great1 ,no gratitude in felon-minds beget2 ,as tribute to his wit1 the churl receives the treat4 ,his praise of foes is venomously nice2 ,so touched1 it turns a virtue to a vice2#bea ,a ,greek1 and bountiful1 forewarns us twice4#beb ,seven sacraments he wisely does disown1 ,because he knows confession stands for one2 ,where sins to sacred silence are conveyed1 ,and not for fear1 or love1 to be betrayed3 ,but he1 uncalled1 his patron to controul1 ,divulged the secret whispers of his soul2 ,stood forth the accusing ,satan of his crimes1 ,and offered to the ,moloch of the times4#bec ,prompt to assail1 and careless of defence1 ,invulnerable in his impudence1 ,he dares the world2 and1 eager of a name1 ,he thrusts about1 and jostles into fame4 ,frontless1 and satire-proof1 he scowers the streets1 ,and runs an ,indian-muck at all he meets4#bed ,so fond of loud report1 that1 not to miss ,of being known1 7his last and utmost bliss17 ,he rather would be known for what he is4 ,such was1 and is1 the ,captain of the ,test1#bee ,though half his virtues are not here expressed2 ,the modesty of fame conceals the rest4 ,the spleenful ,pigeons never could create ,a prince more proper to revenge their hate2 ,indeed1 more proper to revenge1 than save2 ,a king1 whom in his wrath the ,almighty gave3 ,for all the grace the landlord had allowed1 ,but made the ,buzzard and the ,pigeons proud2 ,gave time to fix their friends1 and to seduce the crowd4 ,they long their fellow-subjects to inthral1 ,their patron's promise into question call1#bef ,and vainly think he meant to make them lords of all4 ,false fears their leaders failed not to suggest1 ,as if the ,doves were to be dispossessed2 ,nor sighs1 nor groans1 nor goggling eyes did want1 ,for now the ,pigeons too had learned to cant4 ,the house of prayer is stocked with large increase2 ,nor doors1 nor windows1 can contain the press1 ,for birds of every feather fill the abode2 ,e'en atheists out of envy own a ,god1 ,and1 reeking from the stews1 adulterers come1 ,like ,goths and ,vandals to demolish ,rome4 ,that conscience1 which to all their crimes was mute1 ,now calls aloud1 and cries to persecute3 ,no rigour of the laws to be released1 ,and much the less1 because it was their ,lord's request2 ,they thought it great their sovereign to controul1 ,and named their pride1 nobility of soul4 ',tis true1 the ,pigeons1 and their prince elect1 ,were short of power1 their purpose to effect2 ,but with their quills did all the hurt they could1 ,and cuff'd the tender ,chickens from their food3 ,and much the ,buzzard in their cause did stir1 ,though naming not the patron1 to infer1 ,with all respect1 he was a gross idolater4#beg ,but when the imperial owner did espy1 ,that thus they turned his grace to villainy1 ,not suffering wrath to discompose his mind1 ,he strove a temper for the extremes to find1 ,so to be just1 as he might still be kind2 ,then1 all maturely weighed1 pronounced a doom ,of sacred strength for every age to come4#beh ,by this the ,doves their wealth and state possess1 ,no rights infringed1 but license to oppress3 ,such power have they as factious lawyers long ,to crowns ascribed1 that kings can do no wrong4 ,but since his own domestic birds have tried ,the dire effects of their destructive pride1 ,he deems that proof a measure to the rest1 ,concluding well within his kingly breast1 ,his fowls of nature too unjustly were opprest4#bei ,he therefore makes all birds of every sect ,free of his farm1 with promise to respect ,their several kinds alike1 and equally protect4 ,his gracious edict the same franchise yields ,to all the wild increase of woods and fields1 ,and who in rocks aloof1 and who in steeples builds3 ,to ,crows the like impartial grace affords1 ,and ,choughs and ,daws1 and such republic birds2 ,secured with ample privilege to feed1 ,each has his district1 and his bounds decreed2 ,combined in common interest with his own1 ,but not to pass the ,pigeons' ,rubicon4 ,here ends the reign of this pretended ,dove2 ,all prophecies accomplished from above1 ,for ,shiloh comes the sceptre to remove4 ,reduced from her imperial high abode1 ,like ,dionysius to a private rod1#bfj ,the passive church1 that with pretended grace ,did her distinctive mark in duty place1 ,now touched1 reviles her ,maker to his face4 ,what after happened is not hard to guess2 ,the small beginnings had a large increase1 ,and arts and wealth succeed the secret spoils of peace4 ',tis said1 the ,doves repented1 though too late1 ,become the smiths of their own foolish fate3#bfa ,nor did their owner hasten their ill hour1 ,but1 sunk in credit1 they decreased in power2 ,like snows in warmth that mildly pass away1 ,dissolving in the silence of decay4#bfb ,the ,buzzard1 not content with equal place1 ,invites the feathered ,nimrods of his race1 ,to hide the thinness of their flock from sight1 ,and all together make a seeming goodly flight3 ,but each have separate interests of their own2 ,two ,czars are one too many for a throne4 ,nor can the usurper long abstain from food2 ,already he has tasted ,pigeon's blood1 ,and may be tempted to his former fare1#bfc ,when this indulgent lord shall late to heaven repair4 ,bare benting times1 and moulting months may come1 ,when1 lagging late1 they cannot reach their home2 ,or rent in schism1 7for so their fate decrees17 ,like the tumultuous college of the bees1 ,they fight their quarrel1 by themselves opprest1 ,the tyrant smiles below1 and waits the falling feast4-- ,thus did the gentle ,hind her fable end1 ,nor would the ,panther blame it1 nor commend2 ,but1 with affected yawnings at the close1 ,seemed to require her natural repose2 ,for now the streaky light began to peep1 ,and setting stars admonished both to sleep4 ,the ,dame withdrew1 and1 wishing to her guest ,the peace of heaven1 betook herself to rest3 ,ten thousand angels on her slumbers wait1 ,with glorious visions of her future state4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ahd3 ,note ,i4 ,footnote #ahe3 ,the ,declaration of ,indulgence4 ,footnote #ahf3 ,the ,convocation4 ,footnote #ahg3 ,the adherence of the church of ,england to the interests of ,james1 while he was an exile at ,brussels1 and the ,bill of ,exclusion against him was in dependence1 is here1 as in other places1 made the subject of panegyric4 ,had the church joined with the sectaries1 the destruction of the ,catholics1 at the time of the plot1 would have been inevitable4 ,footnote #ahh3 ,the church of ,england complained1 with great reason1 of the coldness which they experienced from ,james1 in whose behalf they had exerted themselves so successfully4 ,footnote #ahi3 ,an old sea-term1 signifying to run before the wind4 ,footnote #aij3 ,une querelle ,allemande is the well-known ,french phrase for a quarrel picked without cause4 ,the ,hind insinuates1 that the ,panther1 conscious of superior force1 meant to take such cause of quarrel at the ,english ,catholics1 as ,louis had raked up against the ,huguenots1 which1 therefore1 might be styled rather a ,french than a ,german quarrel4 ,footnote #aia3 ,note ,,ii4 ,footnote #aib3 ,note ,,iii4 ,footnote #aic3 ,the different parts of the body were assigned to different planets4 ,the old almanacks have a naked figure in front1 surrounded by the usual planetary emblems1 which dart their rays on the parts which they govern4 ,what ,scorpio claims1 if not apparent from the context1 may be there found4 ,footnote #aid3 ,note ,,iv4 ,footnote #aie3 ,alluding to the charges brought against ,dryden himself by ,stillingfleet4 ,see ,note ,v4 ,footnote #aif3 ,note ,,vi4 ,footnote #aig3 ,note ,,vii4 ,footnote #aih3 ,this is our author's own averment in his ,defence of the ,papers of the ,duchess of ,york4 ,see ,note ,,viii4 ,footnote #aii3 ,the latitudinarian1 or moderate clergy above-mentioned1 and particularly ,stillingfleet4 ,footnote #bjj3 ,note ,,ix4 ,footnote #bja3 ,note ,x4 ,footnote #bjb3 ,stillingfleet's ,vindication1 which contains the imputations complained of by ,dryden1 bears this licence3 ,imprimatur1 ,henricus ,maurice ,rmo4 ,p4 ,d4 ,wilhelmo ,archiep4 ,cant4 a sacris4 ,january #aj1 #afhf4 ,footnote #bjc3 ,in these1 and in the following beautiful lines1 the poet1 who had complained of ,stillingfleet's having charged him with atheism1 expresses his resolution to submit to this reproach with ,christian meekness1 and without retaliation4 ,footnote #bjd3 ,stillingfleet4 ,see ,note ,,xi4 ,footnote #bje3 ,note ,,xii4 ,footnote #bjf3 ,see ,introduction1 p4 #aad2 also ,note ,,viii4 ,footnote #bjg3 ,the penal laws1 though suspended by the king's ,declaration of ,indulgence1 were not thereby abrogated4 ,footnote #bjh3 ,note ,,xii4 ,footnote #bji3 ----,sinistra cava prdixit ab ilice ,cornix4 ,footnote #baj3 ,alluding to the table of ,icarus3 ,icarus ,icariis nomina fecit aquis4 ,chelidonian1 from a swallow4 ,footnote #baa3 ,otherwise called martlets4 ,,dryden4 ,footnote #bab3 ,a parody on ,lee's famous rant in dipus4 ,may there not be a glimpse1 one starry spark1 ,but gods meet gods1 and jostle in the dark4 ,footnote #bac3 ,an old ,saxon word for a village4 ,footnote #bad3 ,it is a vulgar idea1 that a dead swallow1 suspended in the air1 intimates a change of wind1 by turning its bill to the point from which it is to blow4 ,footnote #bae3 ,note ,,xiv4 ,footnote #baf3 ,century ,white1 ,see ,note ,,xv4 ,footnote #bag3 ,the ,hind intimates1 that1 as the sunshine of ,catholic prosperity1 in the fable1 depended upon the king's life1 there existed those among her enemies1 who would fain have it shortened4 ,but from this insinuation she exempts the church of ,england1 and only expresses her fears1 that her passive principles would incline her to neutrality4 ,footnote #bag;a3 ,note ,c3 ,note ,,xvi4 ,footnote #bah3 ,louis ,,xiv4 whose revocation of the ,edict of ,nantes has been so frequently alluded to4 ,as that monarch did not proceed to the extremity of capital punishment against the ,huguenots1 ,dryden contends his edicts were more merciful than the penal laws1 by which mass-priests are denounced as guilty of high treason4 ,footnote #bai3 ,note ,,xvii4 ,footnote #bbj3 ,the poet alludes to the enchantress ,duessa1 who1 when disrobed by ,prince ,arthur1 was changed from a beautiful woman into ,a loathly wrinkled hag1 ill-favoured1 old1 ,whose secret filth good manners biddeth not be told4 ,,spenser',s ,fairy ,queen1 ,book ,i1 canto #h4 ,footnote #bba3 ,note ,,xviii4 ,footnote #bbb3 ,the fiend in the ,book of ,tobit1 who haunted ,raguel's daughter1 is frighted away1 by fumigation1 by ,tobias her bridegroom4 ,thus1 ,milton3 ----,better pleased ,than ,asmodeus with the fishy fume1 ,that drove him1 though enamoured1 from the spouse ,of ,tobit's son1 and with a vengeance sent ,from ,media post to ,egypt1 there fast bound4 ,par4 ,lost1 ,book ,,iv4 ,footnote #bbc3 ,a proverbial expression1 taken from our author's alteration of the ,tempest4 ,see ,vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #agf4 ,footnote #bbd3 neid1 lib4 vii4 #a4 #bac4 ,footnote #bbe3 ,note ,,xix4 ,footnote #bbf3 ,two pamphlets were published1 urging the necessity of an alliance between the church of ,england and the ,dissenters2 and warmly exhorting the latter not to be cajoled to serve the purposes of their joint enemies of ,rome1 by the pretended toleration which was held out as a snare to them4 ,one of these1 called ,reflections on the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 is ascribed to ,burnet2 the other1 called ,advice to ,dissenters1 is supposed to come from the masterly pen of ,halifax4 ,footnote #bbg3 1 4 ,footnote #bbh3 ,note ,,xx4 ,footnote #bbi3 ,the power claimed1 and liberally exercised1 by the king1 of dispensing with the penal statutes4 ,footnote #bcj3 ,that is1 wishing the accession of the ,prince of ,orange1 then the presumptive heir of the crown4 ,footnote #bca3 ,note ,,xxi4 ,footnote #bcb3 ,the refugee ,huguenots4 ,see ,note ,,xxii4 ,footnote #bcc3 ,james ,,ii4 ,see ,note ,,xxiii4 ,footnote #bcd3 ,the ,catholic chapel in ,whitehall4 ,footnote #bce3 ,the clergy of the church of ,england1 and those of ,london in particular4 ,see ,note ,,xxiv4 ,footnote #bcf3 ,the ,catholic clergy1 maintained by ,king ,james4 ,footnote #bcg3 ,the cock is made an emblem of the regular clergy of ,rome1 on account of their nocturnal devotions and mattins4 ,footnote #bch3 ,the ,nuns4 ,footnote #bci3 ,note ,,xxv4 ,footnote #bdj3 ,the worship of images1 charged upon the ,romish church by ,protestants as idolatrous4 ,footnote #bda3 ,note ,,xxvi4 ,footnote #bdb3 ,the ,doves4 ,footnote #bdc3 ,the laws imposing the penalty of high treason on priests saying mass in ,england4 ,footnote #bdd3 ,the ,roman ,catholic nobility1 excluded from the ,house of ,peers by the imposition of the test4 ,footnote #bde3 ,hemlock4 ,footnote #bdf3 ,quos ,jupiter vult perdere1 prius dementat4 ,footnote #bdg3 ,the foolish fable of ,mahomet accustoming a pigeon to pick peas from his ear1 to found his pretensions to inspiration1 is well known4 ,footnote #bdh3 ,gilbert ,burnet1 ,d4 ,d4 afterwards ,bishop of ,salisbury4 ,see ,note ,,xxvii4 ,footnote #bdi3 ,note ,,xxviii4 ,footnote #bej3 ,note ,,xxix4 ,footnote #bea3 ,note ,,xxx4 ,footnote #beb3 ----timeo ,danaos et dona ferentes4 neid1 ,,ii4 lib4 ,footnote #bec3 ,note ,,xxxi4 ,footnote #bed3 ,note ,,xxxii4 ,footnote #bee3 ,note ,,xxxiii4 ,footnote #bef3 ,the promise to maintain the church of ,england1 made in ,james's first proclamation after his accession2 and which the church party alleged he had now broken4 ,note ,,xxxiv4 ,footnote #beg3 ,see note ,,xxxiii4 ,footnote #beh3 ,declaration of indulgence4 ,note ,,xxxv4 ,footnote #bei3 ,note ,,xxxvi4 ,footnote #bfj3 ,the tyrant of ,syracuse1 who1 after being dethroned1 taught a school at ,corinth4 ,footnote #bfa3 ,quisque su fortun faber4 ,,sallust4 ,footnote #bfb3 ,note ,,xxxvii4 ,footnote #bfc3 ,note ,,xxxviii4 ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,hind ,,and ,,the ,,panther4 ,,part ,,iii4 ,note ,i4 ,and mother ,hubbard1 in her homely dress1 ,has sharply blamed a ,british ,lioness2 ,that queen1 whose feast the factious rabble keep1 ,exposed obscenely naked1 and asleep4--,p4 #aig4 ,the poet1 in the beginning of this canto1 anticipates the censure of those who might blame him for introducing into his fables animals not natives of ,britain1 where the scene was laid4 ,he vindicates himself by the example of sop and ,spenser4 ,the latter1 in ,mother ,hubbard's ,tale1 exhibits at length the various arts by which1 in his time1 obscure and infamous characters rose to eminence in church and state4 ,this is illustrated by the parable of an ,ape and a ,fox1 who insinuate themselves into various situations1 and play the knaves in all4 ,at length1 ,lo1 where they spied1 how1 in a gloomy glade1 ,the ,lion1 sleeping1 lay in secret shade2 ,his crown and sceptre lying him beside1 ,and having doft for heat his dreadful hide4 ,the adventurers possess themselves of the royal spoils1 with which the ,ape is arrayed2 who forthwith takes upon himself the dignity of the monarch of the beasts1 and1 by the counsels of the ,fox1 commits every species of oppression1 until ,jove1 incensed at the disorders which his tyranny had introduced1 sends ,mercury to awaken the ,lion from his slumber3 ,arise6 said ,mercury1 thou sluggish beast1 ,that here liest senseless1 like the corpse deceast2 ,the whilst thy kingdom from thy head is rent1 ,and thy throne royal with dishonour blent4 ,the ,lion rouses himself1 hastens to court1 and avenges himself of the usurpers4--,there is no doubt1 that1 under this allegory1 ,spenser meant to represent the exorbitant power of ,lord ,burleigh2 and he afterwards complains1 that his verse occasioned his falling into a mighty peer's displeasure4 ,the ,lion1 therefore1 whose negligence is upbraided by ,mercury1 was ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,dryden calls her1 ,the queen1 whose feast the factious rabble keep2 because the tumultuous pope-burnings of #afhj and #afha were solemnized on ,queen ,elizabeth's night4 ,the poet had probably1 since his change of religion1 laid aside much of the hereditary respect with which most ,englishmen regard ,queen ,bess2 for1 in the pamphlets of the ,romanists1 she is branded as a known bastard1 who raised this prelatic protestancy1 called the church of ,england1 as a prop to supply the weakness of her title4#bfd ,spenser's authority is only appealed to by ,dryden as justifying the introduction of lions and other foreign animals into a ,british fable4 ,but ,i observed in the introduction1 that it also furnishes authority1 at least example1 for those aberrations from the character and attributes of his brute actors1 with which the critics taxed ,dryden2 for nothing in ,the ,hind and the ,panther can be more inconsistent with the natural quality of such animals1 than the circumstance of a lion1 or any other creature1 going to sleep without his skin1 on account of the sultry weather4 ,note ,,ii4 ,you know my doctrine1 and ,i need not say ,i will not1 but ,i cannot1 disobey4 ,on this firm principle ,i ever stood2 ,he of my sons1 who fails to make it good1 ,by one rebellious act renounces to my blood4--,p4 #bjb4 ,the memorable judgment and decree of the university of ,oxford1 passed in the ,convocation #bast ,july1 #afhc1 condemns1 as heretical1 all works which teach or infer the lawfulness of resistance to lawful governors1 even when they become tyrants1 or in case of persecution for religion1 or infringement on the laws of the country1 or1 in short1 in any case whatever2 and after the various authorities for these and other tenets have been given and denounced as false1 seditious1 heretical1 and impious1 the decree concludes with the following injunctions3 ,lastly1 we command and strictly enjoin all and singular readers1 tutors1 catechists1 and others1 to whom the care and trust of institution of youth is committed1 that they diligently instruct and ground their scholars in that most necessary doctrine1 which in a manner is the badge and character of the church of ,england1 of submitting to every ordinance of man for the ,lord's sake1 whether it be to the king as supreme1 or unto governors1 as unto them that are sent by him1 for the punishment of evil doers1 and for the praise of them that do well3 ,teaching1 that this submission and obedience is to be clear1 absolute1 and without exception of any state or order of men4 ,note ,,iii4 ,your sons of latitude1 that court your grace1 ,though most resembling you in form and face1 ,are far the worst of your pretended race4 ,and1 but ,i blush your honesty to blot1 ,pray ,god you prove them lawfully begot6 ,for in some ,popish libels ,i have read1 ,the ,wolf has been too busy in your bed4--,p4 #bjb4 ,during the latter years of the reign of ,charles the ,second1 the dissensions of the state began to creep into the church4 ,by far the greater part of the clergy1 influenced by the ancient union of church and king1 were steady in their adherence to the court interest4 ,but a party began to appear1 who were distinguished from their brethren by the name of ,moderate ,divines1 which they assumed to themselves1 and by that of ,latitudinarians1 which the high churchmen conferred upon them4 ,the chief amongst these were ,tillotson1 ,stillingfleet1 and ,burnet4 ,they distinguished themselves by a less violent ardour for the ceremonies1 and even the government1 of the church2 for all those particulars1 in short1 by which she is distinguished from other ,protestant congregations4 ,stillingfleet carried these condescensions so far1 as to admit in his tract1 called ,irenicum1 that1 although the original church was settled in a constitution of bishops1 priests1 and deacons1 yet as the apostles made no positive law upon this subject1 it remained free to every ,christian congregation to alter or to retain that form of church government4 ,in conformity with this opinion1 he1 in conjunction with ,tillotson and others1 laid a plan for an accommodation with the ,presbyterians1 in #affh2 and1 in order to this comprehension1 he was willing to have made such sacrifices in the point of ordination1 c4 that the ,house of ,commons took the alarm1 and passed a vote1 prohibiting even the introduction of a bill for such a purpose4 ,as1 on the one hand1 the tenets of the moderate clergy approximated those of the ,calvinists2 so1 on the other1 their antipathy and opposition to the church of ,rome was more deeply rooted1 in proportion to the slighter value which they attached to the particulars in which that of ,england resembled her4 ,it flowed naturally from this indulgence to the ,dissenters1 and detestation of the ,romanists1 that several of the moderate clergy participated deeply in the terrors excited by the ,roman ,catholic plot1 and looked with a favourable eye on the bill which proposed to exclude the ,duke of ,york from the throne as a professor of that obnoxious religion4 ,being thus1 as it were1 an opposition party1 it cannot be supposed that the low church divines united cordially with their high-flying brethren in renouncing the right of resisting oppression1 or in professing passive obedience to the royal will4 ,they were of opinion1 that there was a mutual compact between the king and subject1 and that acts of tyranny1 on the part of the former1 absolved the latter from his allegiance4 ,this was particularly inculcated by the reverend ,samuel ,johnson 7,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #cfi47 in ,julian the ,apostate1 and other writings which were condemned by the ,oxford decree4 ,as the dangers attending the church1 from the measures of ,king ,james1 became more obvious1 and the alternative of resistance or destruction became an approaching crisis1 the low church party acquired numbers and strength from those who thought it better at once to hold and assert the lawfulness of opposition to tyranny1 than to make professions of obedience beyond the power of human endurance to make good4 ,this party was of course deeply hated by the ,catholics1 and hence the severity with which they are treated by ,dryden1 who objects to them as the illegitimate offspring of the ,panther by the ,wolf1 and traces to their ,presbyterian origin their indifference to the fasts and ascetic observances of the more rigid high-churchmen1 and their covert disposition to resist regal domination4 ,their adherence to the ,english communion he ascribes only to the lucre of gain1 and endeavours1 if possible1 to draw an odious distinction between them and the rest of the church4 ,stillingfleet1 whom this motive could not escape1 had already complained of ,dryden's designing any particular class of the clergy by a party name4 ,from the common people1 we come to churchmen1 to see how he uses them4 ,and he hath soon found out a faction among them1 whom he charges with juggling designs3 but romantic heroes must be allowed to make armies of a field of thistles1 and to encounter windmills for giants4 ,he would fain be the instrument to divide our clergy1 and to fill them with suspicions of one another4 ,and to this end he talks of men of latitudinarian stamp3 for it goes a great way towards the making divisions1 to be able to fasten a name of distinction among brethren2 this being to create jealousies of each other4 ,but there is nothing should make them more careful to avoid such names of distinction1 than to observe how ready their common enemies are to make use of them1 to create animosities by them2 which hath made this worthy gentleman to start this different character of churchmen among us2 as though there were any who were not true to the principles of the church of ,england1 as by law established3 ,if he knows them1 he is better acquainted with them than the answerer is2 for he professes to know none such4 ,but who then are these men of the latitudinarian stamp8 ,to speak in his own language1 they are a sort of ergoteerers1 who are for a concedo rather than a nego4 ,and now1 ,i hope1 they are all well explained2 or1 in other words of his1 they are1 saith he1 for drawing the nonconformists to their party1 i4e4 they are for having no nonconformists4 ,and is this their crime8 ,but they would take the headship of the church out of the king's hands3 ,how is that possible8 ,they would 7by his own description7 be glad to see differences lessened1 and all that agree in the same doctrine to be one entire body4 ,but this is that which their enemies fear1 and this politician hath too much discovered2 for then such a party would be wanting1 which might be played upon the church of ,england1 or be brought to join with others against it4 ,but how this should touch the king's supremacy1 ,i cannot imagine4 ,as for his desiring loyal subjects to consider this matter1 ,i hope they will1 and the more for his desiring it2 and assure themselves1 that they have no cause to apprehend any juggling designs of their brethren2 who1 ,i hope1 will always show themselves to be loyal subjects1 and dutiful sons of the church of ,england4--,vindication of the ,answer to some late ,papers1 p4 #ajd4 ,note ,,iv4 ,think you1 your new ,french proselytes are come ,to starve abroad1 because they starved at home8 99 99 99 99 99 ,mark with what management their tribes divide1 ,some stick to you1 and some to t'other side1 ,that many churches may for many mouths provide4 ,p4 #bjc4 ,the ,huguenot clergy1 who took refuge in ,england after the recal of the edict of ,nantes1 did not all adhere to the same ,protestant communion4 ,there had been long in ,london what was called the ,walloon church1 exclusively dedicated to this sort of worship4 ,many conformed to the church of ,england2 and1 having submitted to new ordination1 some of them obtained benefices3 others joined in communion with the ,presbyterians1 and dissenters of various kinds4 ,dryden insinuates1 that had the church of ,england presented vacancies sufficient for the provision of these foreign divines1 she would probably have had the honour of attracting them all within her pale4 ,the reformed clergy of ,france were far from being at any time an united body4 ,it might have been expected1 says ,burnet1 that those unhappy contests between ,lutherans1 ,calvinists1 ,arminians1 and ,anti-,arminians1 with some minuter disputes that have enflamed ,geneva and ,switzerland1 should have been at least suspended while they had a common enemy to deal with1 against whom their whole force united was scarce able to stand4 ,but these things were carried on rather with more eagerness and sharpness than ever4 ,history of his ,own ,times1 ,book ,,iv4 ,note ,v4 ,some sons of mine1 who bear upon their shield ,three steeples argent1 in a sable field1 ,have sharply taxed your converts1 who1 unfed1 ,have followed you for miracles of bread4 ,p4 #bjc4 ,the three steeples argent obviously alludes to the pluralities enjoyed1 perhaps by ,stillingfleet1 and certainly by some of the divines of the established church1 who were not on that account less eager in opposing the intrusion of the ,roman clergy1 and stigmatising those who1 at this crisis1 thought proper to conform to the royal faith4 ,these converts were neither numerous nor respectable2 and1 whatever the ,hind is pleased to allege in the text1 posterity cannot but suspect the disinterestedness of their motives4 ,obadiah ,walker1 and a very few of the university of ,oxford1 embraced the ,catholic faith1 conforming at the same time to the forms of the church of ,england1 as if they wished to fulfil the old saying1 of having two strings to one bow4--,the ,earls of ,perth and ,melfort1 with one or two other ,scottish nobles1 took the same step4 ,of the first1 who must otherwise have failed in a contest which he had with the ,duke of ,queensberry1 it was wittily said by ,halifax1 that his faith had made him whole4 ,and1 in general1 as my countrymen are not usually credited by their brethren of ,england for an extreme disregard to their own interest1 the ,scottish converts were supposed to be peculiarly attracted to ,rome by the miracle of the loaves and fishes4#bfe ,but it may be said for these unfortunate peers1 that if they were dazzled by the momentary sunshine which gleamed on the ,catholic church1 they scorned to desert her in the tempest which speedily succeeded4 ,whereas1 we shall do a kindness to ,lord ,sunderland1 if we suppose that he became a convert to ,popery1 merely from views of immediate interest1 and not with the premeditated intention of blinding and betraying the monarch1 who trusted him4 ,dryden must be supposed1 however1 chiefly interested in the vindication of his own motives for a change of religion4 ,note ,,vi4 ,such who themselves of no religion are1 ,allured with gain1 for any will declare2 ,bare lies with bold assertions they can face1 ,but dint of argument is out of place2 ,the grim logician puts them in a fright1 ',tis easier far to flourish than to fight4 ,p4 #bjc4 ,dryden here puts into the mouth of the ,panther some of the severe language which ,stillingfleet had held towards him in the ardour of controversy4 ,he had1 in direct allusion to our author1 7for he quotes his poetry17 expressed himself thus harshly3 ,if ,i thought there were no such thing in the world as true religion1 and that the priests of all religions are alike1#bff ,i might have been as nimble a convert1 and as early a defender of the royal papers1 as any one of these champions4 ,for why should not one who believes no religion1 declare for any8 ,but since ,i do verily believe1 that not only there is such a thing as true religion1 but that it is only to be found in the books of the ,holy ,scripture1 ,i have reason to inquire after the best means of understanding such books1 and thereby1 if it may be1 to put an end to the controversies of ,christendom4#bfg ,but our grim logician proceeds from immediate and original to concomitant causes1 which he saith were revenge1 ambition1 and covetousness4 ,but the skill of logicians used to lie in proving2 but this is not our author's talent1 for not a word is produced to that purpose4 ,if bold sayings1 and confident declarations1 will do the business1 he is never unprovided2 but if you expect any reason from him1 he begs your pardon4 ,he finds how ill the character of a grim logician suits with his inclination4#bfh ,again1 ,but if ,i will not allow his affirmations for proofs for his part1 he will act the grim logician2 no1 and in truth it becomes him so ill1 that he doth well to give it over4#bfi ,and in the beginning of his ,vindication1 alluding to a term used by the defender of the king's papers1 ,stillingfleet says3 ,but lest ,i be again thought to have a mind to flourish before ,i offer to pass1 as the champion speaks in his proper language1 ,i shall apply myself to the matter before us4#bgj ,note ,,vii4 ,thus our eighth ,henry's marriage they defame2 ,divorcing from the church to wed the dame3 ,though largely proved1 and by himself professed1 ,that conscience1 conscience would not let him rest4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for sundry years before he did complain1 ,and told his ghostly confessor his pain4 ,p4 #bjd4 ,this is a continuation of the allusion to ,stillingfleet's ,vindication1 who had attempted to place ,henry ,,viii4's divorce from ,catherine of ,arragon to the account of his majesty's tender conscience4 ,a herculean task6 but the readers may take it in the words of the ,dean of ,st ,paul's3 ,and now this gentleman sets himself to ergoteering2#bga and looks and talks like any grim logician1 of the causes which produced it1 and the effects which it produced4 ',the schism led the way to the ,reformation1 for breaking the unity of ,christ's church1 which was the foundation of it3 but the immediate cause of this1 which produced the separation of ,henry ,,viii4 from the church of ,rome1 was the refusal of the pope to grant him a divorce from his first wife1 and to gratify his desires in a dispensation for a second marriage4' ,ergo3 ,the first cause of the ,reformation1 was the satisfying an inordinate and brutal passion4 ,but is he sure of this8 ,if he be not1 it is a horrible calumny upon our church1 upon ,king ,henry the ,eighth1 and the whole nation1 as ,i shall presently show4 ,no2 he confesses he cannot be sure of it3 for1 saith he1 no man can carry it so high as the original cause with any certainty4 ,and at the same time1 he undertakes to demonstrate the immediate cause to be ,henry the ,eighth's inordinate and brutal passion2 and afterwards affirms1 as confidently as if he had demonstrated it1 that our ,reformation was erected on the foundations of lust1 sacrilege1 and usurpation3 ,yet1 saith he1 the king only knew whether it was conscience or love1 or love alone1 which moved him to sue for a divorce4 ,then1 by his favour1 the king only could know what was the immediate cause of that which he calls the schism4 ,well6 but he offers at some probabilities1 that lust was the true cause4 ,is ,ergoteering come to this already8 ',but this we may say1 if ,conscience had any part in it1 she had taken a long nap of almost twenty years together before she awakened4' ,doth he think1 that ,conscience doth not take a longer nap than this in some men1 and yet they pretend to have it truly awakened at last8 ,what thinks he of late converts8 ,cannot they be true1 because conscience hath slept so long in them8 ,must we conclude in such cases1 that some inordinate passion gives conscience a jog at last8 ',so that it cannot be denied1 he saith1 that an inordinate and brutal passion had a great share at least in the production of the schism4' ,how6 cannot be denied6 ,i say from his own words it ought to be denied1 for he confesses none could know but the king himself2 he never pretended that the king confessed it3 ,how then cannot it be denied8 ,yea1 how dare any one affirm it8 ,especially when the king himself declared in a solemn assembly1 in these words1 saith ,hall1 7as near1 saith he1 as ,i could carry them away17 speaking of the dissatisfaction of his conscience1--,for this only cause1 ,i protest before ,god1 and in the word of a prince1 ,i have asked counsel of the greatest clerks in ,christendom2 and for this cause ,i have sent for this legat1 as a man indifferent1 only to know the truth1 and to settle my conscience1 and for none other cause1 as ,god can judge4 ,and both then and afterwards1 he declared1 that his scruples began upon the ,french ambassador's making a question about the legitimacy of the marriage1 when the match was proposed between the ,duke of ,orleans and his daughter2 and he affirms1 that he moved it himself in confession to the ,bishop of ,lincoln1 and appeals to him concerning the truth of it in open court4--,vindication of the ,answer to some late ,papers1 p4 #aji4 ,note ,,viii4 ,they say1 that1 look the ,reformation round1 ,no treatise of humility is found2 ,but if none were1 the gospel does not want1 ,our ,saviour preached it1 and ,i hope you grant1 ,the sermon on the mount was ,protestant4--,p4 #bjd4 ,stillingfleet concludes his ,vindication with this admonition to ,dryden3 ,i would desire him not to end with such a bare-faced assertion of a thing so well known to be false1 viz4 that there is not one original treatise written by a ,protestant1 which hath handled distinctly1 and by itself1 that ,christian virtue of humility4 ,since within a few years 7besides what hath been printed formerly7 such a book hath been published in ,london4 ,but he doth well to bring it off with1 'at least that ,i have seen or heard of2' for such books have not lain much in the way of his inquiries4 ,suppose we had not such particular books1 we think the ,holy ,scripture gives the best rules and examples of humility of any book in the world2 but ,i am afraid he should look on his case as desperate if ,i send him to the ,scripture1 since he saith1 ',our divines do that as physicians do with their patients whom they think uncurable1 send them at last to ,tunbridge-waters1 or to the air of ,montpellier4 ,dryden1 in the ,introduction1 says1 that the author of this work was called ,duncombe2 but he is charged with inaccuracy by ,montague1 who says his name is ,allen4 ,it seems to be admitted1 that his work is a translation from the ,spanish4 ,the real author may have been ,thomas ,allen1 rector of ,kettering1 in ,northamptonshire1 and author of ,the ,practice of a ,holy ,life1 #hvo4 #agaf2 in the list of books subjoined to which1 ,i find ,the ,virtue of ,humility1 recommended to be printed by the late reverend and learned ,dr ,henry ,hammond1 which perhaps may be the book in question4 ,a sort of similarity of sound between ,duncombe and ,hammond may have led to ,dryden's mistake4 ,alonzo ,rodriguez1 of the ,order of the ,jesuits1 wrote a book called ,exercicio de perfecion y virtudes ,christianas1 ,sevilla1 #afji1 which seems to be the work from which the plagiary was taken4 ,note ,,ix4 ,unpitied ,hudibras1 your champion friend1 ,has shown how far your charities extend2 ,this lasting verse shall on his tomb be read1 ,he shamed you living1 and upbraids you dead4 ,p4 #bje4 ,our author1 in the preceding lines1 had employed himself in repelling the charge of his having changed his religion for the sake of interest4 ,his loaves1 he says1 had not been increased by the change1 nor had his assiduity at court intimated any claim upon royal favour3 and in reference to her neglect of literary merit1 he charges on the church of ,england the fate of ,butler1 a brother poet4 ,of that truly original genius we only know1 that his life was spent in dependence1 and embittered by disappointment4 ,but unless ,dryden alludes to some incident now unknown1 it is difficult to see how the church of ,england could have rewarded his merit4 ,undoubtedly she owed much to his forcible satire against her lately triumphant rivals1 the ,presbyterians and ,independents2 but1 unless ,butler had been in orders1 how could the church have recompensed his poetical talents8 ,the author of the most witty poem that ever was written had a much more natural and immediate claim upon the munificence of the wittiest king and court that ever was in ,england2 nor was his satire less serviceable to royalty than to the established religion4 ,the blame of neglecting ,butler lay therefore on ,charles ,,ii4 and his gay courtiers1 who quoted ,hudibras incessantly1 and left the author to struggle with obscurity and indigence4 ,the poet himself has1 in a fragment called ,hudibras at ,court1 set forth both the kind reception which ,charles gave the poem1 and his neglect of the author3 ,now you must know1 ,sir ,hudibras ,with such perfections gifted was1 ,and so peculiar in his manner1 ,that all that saw him did him honour4 ,among the rest1 this prince was one1 ,admired his conversation3 ,this prince1 whose ready wit and parts ,conquered both men and women's hearts1 ,was so o'ercome with ,knight and ,ralph1 ,that he could never claw it off2 ,he never eat1 nor drank1 nor slept1 ,but ,hudibras still near him kept2 ,nor would he go to church1 or so1 ,but ,hudibras must with him go2 ,nor yet to visit concubine1 ,or at a city feast to dine1 ,but ,hudibras must still be there1 ,or all the fat was in the fire4 ,now after all1 was it not hard1 ,that he should meet with no reward1 ,that fitted out this knight and squire1 ,this monarch did so much admire8 ,that he should never reimburse ,the man for th' equipage1 or horse1 ,is sure a strange ungrateful thing1 ,in any body but a king4 ,but this good king1 it seems1 was told1 ,by some that were with him too bold1 ,if e'er you hope to gain your ends1 ,caress your foes1 and trust your friends4 ,such were the doctrines that were taught1 ,till this unthinking king was brought ,to leave his friends to starve and die1 ,a poor reward for loyalty6 ,note ,x4 ,with odious atheist names you load your foes2 ,your liberal clergy why did ,i expose8 ,it never fails in charities like those4--,p4 #bje4 ,our author here complains of the personal reflections which ,stillingfleet had cast upon him1 particularly in the passage already quoted in ,note ,,vii41 where he is expressly charged with disbelieving the existence of such a thing as true religion4 ,the second and third lines of the triplet are somewhat obscure4 ,the meaning seems to be1 that ,dryden1 conscious of having given the first offence1 which we shall presently see was the case1 justifies his having done so1 from personal abuse being the never-failing resort of the liberal clergy4 ,the application of the neuter pronoun it to the liberal clergy1 is probably in imitation of ,virgil's satirical construction3 ,varium et mutabile semper fmina4 ,it happened in this controversy1 as in most others1 that both parties1 laying out of consideration the provocation which they themselves had given1 complained bitterly of the illiberality of their antagonists4 ,stillingfleet expatiates on the unhandsome language contained in ,dryden's ,defence1 and the passages which he quotes are those which contain the exposure of the liberal clergy mentioned in the text3 ,yet as if ,i had been the sole contriver or inventor of all1 he bestows those civil and obliging epithets upon me1 of disingenuous1 foul-mouthed1 and shuffling2 one of a virulent genius1 of spiteful diligence1 and irreverence to the royal family2 of subtle calumny1 and sly aspersion2 and he adds to these ornaments of speech1 that ,i have a cloven-foot1 and my name is ,legion2 and that my ,answer is an infamous libel1 a scurrilous saucy pamphlet4 ,is this indeed the spirit of a new convert8 ,is this the meekness and temper you intend to gain proselytes by1 and to convert the nation8 ,he tells us in the beginning1 that truth has a language peculiar to itself3 ,i desire to be informed1 whether these be any of the characters of it8 ,and how the language of reproach and evil-speaking may be distinguished from it8 ,but zeal in a new convert is a terrible thing2 for it not only burns1 but rages1 like the eruptions of ,mount tna2 it fills the air with noise and smoke1 and throws out such a torrent of liquid fire1 that there is no standing before it4 ,the ,answer alone was too mean a sacrifice for such a ,hector in controversy4 ,all that standeth in his way must fall at his feet4 ,he calls me ,legion1 that he may be sure to have number enough to overcome4 ,but he is a great proficient indeed1 if he be such an exorcist1 to cast out a whole legion already4 ,but he hopes it may be done without fasting and prayer4--,vindication of the ,answer1 p4 #a4 ,note ,,xi4 ,it now remains for you to school your child1 ,and ask why ,god's anointed he reviled2 ,a king and princess dead6 ,did ,shimei worse8 ,p4 #bjg4 ,the ,hind having shewn that her influence over ,dryden was such as to induce him to submit patiently1 and without vengeance1 to injury and reproach1 now calls upon the ,panther to exert her authority in turn over ,stillingfleet1 for his irreverend attack upon the royal papers in favour of the ,catholic religion4 ,upon a careful perusal of the ,answers and ,vindication of that great divine1 it is impossible to find any grounds for the charge of his having reviled ,charles ,,ii4 or the ,duchess of ,york2 on the contrary1 their names are always mentioned with great respect1 and the controversy is conducted strictly in conformity with the following spirited advertisement prefixed to the ,answer3 ,if the papers1 here answered1 had not been so publicly dispersed through the nation1 a due respect to the name they bear1 would have kept the author from publishing any answer to them4 ,but because they may now fall into many hands1 who1 without some assistance1 may not readily resolve some difficulties started by them1 he thought it not unbecoming his duty to ,god and the king1 to give a clearer light to the things contained in them4 ,and it can be no reflection on the authority of a prince1 for a private subject to examine a piece of coin as to its just value1 though it bears his image and superscription upon it4 ,in matters that concern faith and salvation1 we must prove all things1 and hold fast that which is good4--,advertisement to ,answer to the ,royal ,papers4 ,dryden1 however1 like the other ,catholics1 was pleased to interpret the impugning and confuting the arguments used by the king and duchess1 into contempt and disrespect for their persons4 ,it was this forced construction on which was founded the prosecution of ,sharpe and of the ,bishop of ,london before the ecclesiastical commissioners4 ,sharpe having been defied to a polemical contest1 by a paper handed into his pulpit1 took occasion to preach on the arguments contained in it2 and mentioned1 with some contempt1 persons who could be influenced by such weak reasoning4 ,this was interpreted as a reflection on the new converts1 and particularly on the king himself2 and a mandate was issued to the ,bishop of ,london1 commanding that the obnoxious preacher should be suspended4 ,the issue of this matter has been noticed in the notes on ,absalom and ,achitophel1 ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #cjb4 ,note ,,xii4 ,your son was warned1 and wisely gave it o'er2 ,but he1 who counselled him1 has paid the score4 ,p4 #bjg4 ,dryden here triumphs in the conquest he pretends to have gained over ,stillingfleet4 ,in the beginning of the controversy1 the ,dean of ,st ,paul's had spoken dubiously of the authenticity of the paper ascribed to the ,duchess4 ,in his ,vindication1 he fully admitted that point1 and insisted only upon the weakness of the reasons which she alleged for her conversion4 ,this ,dryden compares to a defeated vessel1 bearing away under the smoke of her last broadside4 ,the person1 whom he states to have counselled ,stillingfleet1 is probably ,burnet2 and the score which he paid1 is the severe description given of him under the character of the ,buzzard4 ,dryden always seems to have viewed the ,answer to the ,royal ,papers as the work of more than one hand4 ,in his ,defence1 he affirms1 that the answerer's name is ,legion2 but though the body be possessed with many evil spirits1 it is but one of them that talks4 ,in the introduction to the ,hind and ,panther1 he says1 he is informed both of the author and supervisors of this pamphlet4 ,he conjectured1 as was probably the truth1 that a controversy of such importance1 and which required to be managed with such peculiar delicacy1 was not entrusted to a single individual4 ,besides ,burnet1 it is probable that ,tillotson1 ,tennison1 and ,patrick1 all of whom mingled in the polemical disputes of that period1 were consulted by ,stillingfleet on this important occasion4 ,note ,,xiii4 ,perhaps you think your time of triumph near1 ,but may mistake the season of the year2 ,the ,swallow's fortune gives you cause to fear4--,p4 #baj4 ,the general application of the fable of the ,swallows to the short gleam of ,catholic prosperity during the reign of ,james ,,ii4 is sufficiently manifest4 ,but it is probable1 that a more close and intimate allusion was intended to an event which took place in #afhf1 when the whole nation was in confusion at the measures of ,king ,james1 so that the alarm had extended even to the ,catholics1 who were the objects of his favour4 ,we are told1 there was a general meeting of the leading ,roman ,catholics at the ,savoy1 to consult how this favourable crisis might be most improved to the advantage of their cause4 ,father ,petre had the chair2 and at the very opening of the debates1 it appeared1 that the majority were more inclined to provide for their own security1 than to come to extremities with the ,protestants4 ,notwithstanding the ,king's zeal1 power1 and success1 they were afraid to push the experiment any farther4 ,the people were already alarmed1 the soldiers could not be depended upon1 the very courtiers melted out of their grasp4 ,all depended on a single life1 which was already on the decline2 and if that life should last yet a few years longer1 and continue as hitherto devoted to their interest and service1 they foresaw innumerable difficulties in their way1 and anticipated disappointments without end4 ,upon these considerations1 therefore1 some were for a petition to the king1 that he would only so far interpose in their favour1 that their estates might be secured to them by act of parliament1 with exemption from all employments1 and liberty to worship ,god in their own way1 in their own houses4 ,others were for obtaining the king's leave to sell their estates1 and transport themselves and their effects to ,france4 ,all but ,father ,petre were for a compromise of some sort or other2 but he disdained whatever had a tendency to moderation1 and was for making the most of the voyage while the sea was smooth1 and the wind prosperous4 ,all these several opinions1 we are farther told1 were laid before the king1 who was pleased to answer1 ,that before their desires were made known to him1 he had provided a sure retreat and sanctuary for them in ,ireland1 in case all those endeavours which he was making for their security in ,england should be blasted1 and which as yet gave him no reason to despair4#bgb ,it will hardly1 ,i think1 be disputed1 that the fable of the ,swallows about to cross the seas refers to this consultation of the ,catholics2 and it is a strong instance of ,dryden's prejudice against priests of all persuasions1 that1 in the character of the ,martin1 who persuaded the ,swallows to postpone the flight1 he decidedly appears to have designed ,petre1 the king's confessor and prime adviser in state matters1 both spiritual and temporal4 ,the name of ,martin may contain an allusion to the parish of ,st ,martin's1 in which ,whitehall1 and the royal chapel1 are situated4 ,but should this be thought fanciful1 it is certain1 that the portrait of this vain1 presumptuous1 ambitious1 bigotted ,jesuit1 who was in keen pursuit of a cardinal's cap1 is exactly that of the ,martin3 ,a church begot1 and church believing bird1 ,of little body1 but of lofty mind1 ,round-bellied1 for a dignity designed4 ,two marked circumstances of resemblance conclude the inuendo1--his noble birth1 and superficial learning2 ,but little learning needs in noble blood4#bgc ,it may be doubted1 whether the reverend father was highly pleased with this sarcastic description1 or whether he admitted readily the apology1 that the poet1 speaking in the character of the heretical church1 was obliged to use ,protestant colouring4 ,the close correspondence of the fable with the real events may be farther traced1 and admit of yet more minute illustration3 ,the ,raven1 from the withered oak1 ,left of their lodging1---- may be conjectured to mean ,tennison1 within whose parish ,whitehall was situated1 and who stood in the front of battle during all the ,roman ,catholic controversy4 ,as ,petre is the ,martin who persuaded the ,catholics not to leave the kingdom1 his preparations for maintaining their ground there are also noticed3 ,he ordered all things with a busy care1 ,and cells and refectories did prepare1 ,and large provisions laid of winter fare4 ,this alludes to the numerous schools and religious establishments which the ,jesuits prepared to establish throughout ,england4#bgd ,the chapel which housed them is obviously the royal chapel1 where the priests were privileged to exercise their functions even during the subsistence of the penal laws4 ,the transient gleam of sunshine which invited the ,swallows forth from their retirement1 is the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 in consequence of which the ,catholics assumed the open and general exercise of their religion4 ,the ,irish ,catholics1 with the sanguine ,talbot at their head1 may be the first who hailed the imaginary return of spring3 they are painted as ----,swifts1 the giants of the ,swallow kind1 ,large limbed1 stout hearted1 but of stupid mind4 ,i cannot help thinking1 that our author1 still speaking in the character of the ,english church1 describes himself as the foolish ,cuckow1 whose premature annunciation of spring completed the ,swallow's delusion4 ,perhaps he intended to mitigate the scornful description of ,petre1 by talking of himself also as a ,protestant would have talked of him4 ,the foreign priests and ,catholic officers1 whom hopes of promotion now brought into ,england1 are pointed out by the foreign fowl1 who came in flocks1 ,to bless the founder1 and partake the cheer4 ,the fable concludes in a prophetic strain1 by indicating the calamities which were likely to overwhelm the ,catholics1 as soon as the death of ,james1 or any similar event1 should end their temporary prosperity4 ,it is well known1 how exactly the event corresponded to the prophecy2 even the circumstance of the rabble rising upon the ,catholic priests was most literally verified4 ,in most of the sea-port towns1 they watched the coasts to prevent their escape2 and when ,king ,james was taken at ,feversham1 the fishermen1 by whom he was seized1 were employed in what they called by the cant phrase of priest-codding1 that is1 lying in wait for the fugitive priests4 ,note ,,xiv4 ,but most in ,martin's character and fate1 ,she saw her slandered sons1 the ,panther's hate1 ,the people's rage1 the persecuting state4--,p4 #bag4 ,the conclusion of the fable naturally introduces a discussion of the penal laws1 which unquestionably were extremely severe towards ,catholics4 ,by the fourteenth of ,queen ,elizabeth1 it was enacted1 that whoever1 by bulls of the pope1 should reconcile any one to ,rome1 should1 together with the person reconciled1 be guilty of high treason2 that those1 who relieved such reconcilers1 should be liable in the penalties of a premunire1 and those who concealed them in misprision of treason4 ,a still more severe law passed in the twenty-eighth of the same queen1 upon discovery of ,parry's conspiracy against her life1 to which he had been stirred up by a book of ,allen1 or ,parsons the ,jesuit1 written for the express purpose4 ,it was thereby enacted1 that all ,jesuits and ,popish priests should depart the kingdom within forty days2 and that those who should afterwards return into the kingdom1 should be guilty of high treason2 and all who relieved and maintained them1 of felony4 ,there were other enactments of a similar nature made upon the discovery of the gun-powder plot4 ,samuel ,johnson 7,i mean the divine7 gives an odd justification of these laws1 saying1 that the priests are hanged1 not as priests1 but as traitors4 ,but1 as their being priests was the sole reason for their being held traitors1 it does not appear1 that the ,protestant divine can avail himself of this distinction4 ,note ,,xv4 ,no church reformed can boast a blameless line1 ,such ,martins build in yours1 and more than mine2 ,or else an old fanatic author lies1 ,who summed their scandals up by centuries4--,p4 #bah4 ,the fanatic author is ,john ,white1 commonly called ,century ,white4 ,he was born in ,pembrokeshire in #aeij1 was educated for the bar1 and made a considerable figure in his profession4 ,as he was a rigid puritan1 he was chosen one of the trustees which that sect appointed to purchase impropriations to be bestowed upon fanatic preachers4 ,this design was checked by ,archbishop ,laud2 and ,white1 among others1 received a severe censure in the ,star-,chamber4 ,in the ,long ,parliament1 ,white was member for ,southwark1 and distinguished himself by his vindictive severity against the bishops and ,episcopal clergy1 saying openly in a committee1 he hoped to live to see the day1 when there should be neither bishop nor cathedral priest in ,england4 ,he was very active in the ejectment of the clergy1 by which upwards of eight thousand churchmen are said to have lost their cures in the course of four or five years4 ,in order to encourage and justify these violent measures1 he published his famous treatise1 entitled1 ,the ,first ,century of ,scandalous ,malignant ,priests1 made and admitted into benefices by the ,prelates1 ,london1 #afdc2 a tract which contains1 as may be inferred from its name1 an hundred instances of unworthiness1 which had been either proved to have existed among the clergy of the church of ,england1 or had been invented to throw a slander upon them4 ,when this satire was shown to ,charles ,i41 it was proposed to answer it by a similar exposition of the scandalous part of the puritanical teachers2 but that monarch would not consent to give countenance to a warfare in which neither party could gain1 and religion was sure to be a loser between them4 ,similar considerations are said to have prevented ,white himself from publishing ,a ,second ,century1 in continuation of his work4 ,he wrote another tract1 entitled1 ,the ,looking ,glass2 in which he attempted to prove1 that the sin against the ,holy ,ghost was the bearing arms for the king in the civil war4 ,his own party bestow on ,white a high character for religion and virtue2 but the cavaliers alleged1 that although he had two wives of his own1 a large proportion of matrimony1 he did not forbear to visit three belonging to his neighbours in the ,white ,friars4 ,he died in ,january #afdd1 and is said1 in his last illness1 to have bitterly lamented the active share which he had taken in ejecting so many guiltless ministers1 and their families4 ,this1 however1 may be a fiction of the royalists2 for the death-bed repentance of an enemy is amongst the most common forgeries of party4 ,white's body was attended to the grave by most of the members of ,parliament1 and the following distich inscribed on his tomb3 ,here lyeth a ,,john1 a burning shining light1 ,his name1 life1 actions1 all were ,,white4 ,see ,wood's ,athen ,oxonienses4 ,note ,,xvi4 ,the ,lion1 studious of our common good1 ,desires 7and kings' desires are ill withstood7 ,to join our nations in a lasting love2 ,the bars betwixt are easy to remove1 ,for sanguinary laws were never made above4--,p4 #bah4 ,when ,james ,,ii4 ascended the throne1 deceived by the general attachment of the church of ,england for his person1 and the little jealousy which they seemed to entertain of his religion1 he conceived there would be no great difficulty in procuring a reconciliation between the national church and that of ,rome4 ,with this view he made a favourable declaration of his intentions to maintain the church of ,england as by law established1 and certainly expected1 that1 in return1 they would consent to the repeal of the test act and penal laws2#bge and this1 it was conceived1 might pave the way for uniting the churches4 ,an extraordinary pamphlet1 already quoted1 recommends such an union1 founded upon the mutual attachment of both communions to ,king ,james1 upon their success in resisting the ,bill of ,exclusion1 and their common hatred of the dissenters4 ,this very stone1 which was once rejected by the architects1 is now become the chief stone in the corner4 ,we may truly see in it the hand of ,god1 and look upon it with admiration2 and may expect1 if fears and jealousies hinder not1 the greatest blessings we can wish for4 ,an union betwixt these two walls1 which have been thus long separated1 and now in a fair way to be united and linked together by this corner stone2 after which1 how glorious a structure may we hope for on such foundations6 ,a plan is therefore laid down1 containing the following heads1 of which it may be observed1 that the very first is the abrogation of these penal laws1 which ,dryden states to be the principal bar between the alliance of the ,hind and the ,panther4 ,first1 that it may be provided1 ,that those who are known to be faithful friends to the king and kingdom's good1 may equally with us enjoy those favours and blessings we may hope for under so great and so just a king1 without being liable to the sanguinary penal laws1 for holding opinions noways inconsistent with loyalty1 and the peace and quiet of the nation2 and that they may not be obliged1 by oaths and tests1 either to renounce their religion1 which they know they cannot do without sacrilege1 or else to put themselves out of capacity of serving their king and country4 ,secondly1 ,that1 for healing our differences1 it be appointed1 that neither side1 in their sermons1 touch upon matters of controversy with animating reflections2 but that those discourses may wholly tend to peace and piety1 religion and sound morality2 and that1 in all public catechisms1 the solid grounds and principles of religion may be solely explicated and established1 all reflecting animosities being laid aside4 ,thirdly1 ,that some learned1 devout1 and sober persons1 may be made choice of on both sides1 who may truly state matters of controversy betwixt us2 to the end1 each one may know others pretensions1 and the tenets they cannot abandon1 without breaking the chain of apostolic faith2 which1 if it be done1 we shall1 it may be1 find that to be true1 which the ,papists often tell us1 that the difference betwixt them and us is not so great as many make it2 nor their tenets so pernicious1 but if we saw them naked1 we should1 if not embrace them as truths1 yet not condemn them as errors1 much less as pernicious doctrines4 ,yet if1 notwithstanding all this1 we cannot perfectly agree in some points1 let us1 however1 endeavour to live together in the bonds of love and charity1 as becomes good ,christians and loyal subjects1 and join together to oppugn those known maxims1 and pernicious errors1 which destroy the essence of religion1 loyalty1 and good government4--,remonstrance1 by way of ,address1 to the ,church of ,england1 #afhe4 ,note ,,xvii4 ,yet still remember1 that you wield a sword1 ,forged by your foes against your sovereign lord2 ,designed to hew the imperial cedar down1 ,defraud succession1 and dis-heir the crown4--,p4 #bai4 ,the ,test-act was passed in the year #afgh1 while the popish plot was in its vigour1 and the ,earl of ,shaftesbury was urging every point against the ,catholics1 with his eyes uniformly fixed upon the ,bill of ,exclusion as his crowning measure4 ,it imposed on all who should sit in parliament1 a declaration of their abhorrence of the doctrine of transubstantiation4 ,the ,duke of ,york1 with tears in his eyes1 moved for a proviso to exempt himself1 protesting1 that he cast himself upon the ,house in the greatest concern he could have in the world2 and that whatever his religion might be1 it should only be a private thing between ,god and his own soul4 ,notwithstanding this pathetic appeal1 he carried his point but by two votes4 ,with seven other peers he protested against the bill4 ,dryden therefore1 and probably with great justice1 represents this test as a part of his machinations against the ,duke of ,york1 whose party was at that time1 and afterwards1 warmly espoused by the church of ,england4 ,but though the ,test-act was devised by a statesman whom they hated1 and carried by a party whom they had opposed1 the high-church clergy were not the less unwilling to part with it when they found the advantages which it gave them against the ,papists in ,king ,james's reign4 ,hence they were loaded with the following reproaches3 ,my business is to set forth1 in its own colours1 the extraordinary loyalty of those men1 who obstinately maintain a test contrived by the faction to usher in the ,bill of ,exclusion3 ,and it is much admired1 even by some of her own children1 that the grave and matron-like church of ,england1 which values herself so much for her antiquity1 should be over-fond of a new point of faith1 lately broached by a famous act of an infallible parliament1 convened at ,westminster1 and guided by the holy spirit of ,shaftesbury4 ,but ,i doubt there are some parliaments in the world which will not so easily admit this new article into their creed1 though the church of ,england labours so much to maintain it as a special evidence of her singular loyalty4--,new ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,note ,,xviii4 ,the first reformers were a modest race2 ,our peers possessed in peace their native place1 ,and when rebellious arms o'erturned the state1 ,they suffered only in the common fate2 ,but now the sovereign mounts the regal chair1 ,and mitred seats are full1 yet ,david's bench is bare4--,p4 #bba4 ,this passage regards the situation of the ,roman ,catholic peers4 ,notwithstanding their religion1 they had been allowed to retain their seats and votes in the ,house of ,lords4 ,so jealous were they1 7as was but natural17 of this privilege1 that1 in #afge1 when ,danby proposed a test oath upon all holding state employments and benefices1 the object of which was to acknowledge the doctrine of non-resistance1 and disown all attempts at an alteration of government1 the ,roman ,catholic peers1 to the number of twenty1 who had hitherto always voted with the crown1 united1 on this occasion1 with the opposition1 and occasioned the loss of the bill4 ,this ,north imputes to the art of ,shaftesbury1 who dinned into their ears1 that this test 7by mentioning the maintenance of the ,protestant religion1 though that of the royal authority was chiefly proposed7 tended to deprive them of their right of voting1 which was a birth-right so sacrosanct and radically inherent in the peerage1 as not to be temerated on any account whatsoever4 ,when the earl had heated the ,catholic lords with this suggestion1 he secured them to the opposition1 by proposing1 and carrying through1 an order of the ,house1 that no bill should be received1 tending to deprive any of the peerage of their right4 ,but when the ,test-act of #afgh was moved1 which had1 for its direct purpose1 that exclusion which that of #afge was supposed only to convey by implication1 ,shaftesbury laughed at the order which he himself had proposed1 saying1 leges posteriores priores abrogant4 ,and by this test1 which required the renunciation of their religion as idolatrous1 the ,catholic peerage were effectually1 and for ever1 excluded from their seats in the ,house of ,lords4 ,dryden intimates1 in the following lines1 that this test applied to the ,papists alone1 and complains heavily of this odious distinction1 betwixt them and other non-conformists4 ,note ,,xix4 ,when first the ,lion sat with awful sway1 ,your conscience taught your duty to obey4--,p4 #bbc4 ,james ,,ii4 and the established church set out on the highest terms of good humour with each other4 ,this1 as the king afterwards assured the dissenters1 was owing to the professions made to him by some of the churchmen1 whom he named1 who had promised favour to the ,catholics1 provided he would abandon all idea of general toleration1 and leave them their ancient authority over the fanatics4 ,moved1 as he said1 by these promises1 the ,declaration in council1 issued upon his accession1 had this remarkable clause3 ,i know the principles of the church of ,england are for monarchy1 and the members of it have shewn themselves good and loyal subjects1 therefore ,i shall always take care to defend and support it4 ,this explicit declaration gave the greatest satisfaction to the kingdom in general1 and particularly to the clergy4 ,all the pulpits of ,england1 says ,burnet1 were full of it1 and of thanksgivings for it4 ,it was magnified as a security far greater than any that laws could give4 ,the common phrase was1 ,we have now the word of a king1 and a word never yet broken4 ,this general feeling of gratitude led to a set of addresses1 full of the most extravagant expressions of loyalty and fidelity to so gracious a sovereign4 ,the churchmen led the way in these expressions of zeal2 and the university of ,oxford1 in particular1 promised to obey the king without limitations or restrictions4 ,the king's promise was reckoned so solemn and inviolable1 that those addresses were censured as guilty at least of ill-breeding1 who mentioned in their papers the religion established by law2 since that expression implied an obligation on the king to maintain it1 independently of his royal grace and favour4 ,but the scene speedily changed1 as the king's intentions began to disclose themselves4 ,then1 as a ,catholic pamphleteer expresses himself1 ,my loyal gentlemen were so far out of the right bias1 that1 in lieu of taking off the tests and penal laws1 which all people expected from them in point of gratitude and good manners1 they made a solemn address to his majesty1 that none be employed who were not capacitated by the said laws and tests to bear offices civil and military4#bgf ,if ,james1 had viewed with attention the incidents of the former reign1 he might have recollected1 that1 however devoted the clergy had then shown themselves to the crown1 his brother's attempt at his present measure of a general indulgence had at once alarmed the whole church4 ,this sensibility1 when the interest of the church is concerned1 is severely contrasted with the general indifference to the cause of freedom1 into which they relapsed when the indulgence was recalled1 in a party pamphlet of the year #afhj-a4 ,you may easily call to mind1 a late instance of the humanity and conscience of this race of men here in ,england3 ,for when his majesty1 not long since1 attempted to follow his own inclinations1 and emitted a declaration of indulgence to tender consciences1 the whole posse cleri seemed to be raised against him3 ,every reader and ,gibeonite of the church could then talk as saucily of their king1 as they do now of the late honourable ,parliament2 nay1 they began to stand upon their terms1 and delivered it out as orthodox doctrine1 that the king was to act according to law1 and1 therefore1 could not suspend a penal statute2 that the subjects' obedience was a legal obedience2 and1 therefore1 if the king commanded any thing contrary to law1 the subject was not bound to obey2 with so many other honest positions1 that men wondered in ,god how such knaves should come by them4 ,but wherefore was all this wrath1 and all this doctrine8 merely because his majesty was pleased for a time to remove the sore backs of dissenters from under the ecclesiastical lash2 the bloody exercise of which is never denied to holy church1 but the magistrate is immediately assaulted with the noise and clamour of ,demetrius and his craftsmen4 ,but now1 the tables being turned1 the same mercenary tongues are again all ,sibthorp1 and all ,manwaring2 not a bit of law1 or conscience either1 is now to be had for love or money2 not any limits to be put to the king's commands1 or our obedience4 ,it is a gospel truth with these men1 that all which we have is the king's2 and if he should command our estates1 our wives and children1 yea1 and our religion too1 we ought to resign them up1 submit1 and be silent4--,the ,freeholders' ,choice1 or1 ,a ,letter of ,advice concerning ,elections4 ,note ,,xx4 ,possess your soul with patience1 and attend2 ,a more auspicious planet may ascend2 ,good fortune may present some happier time1 ,with means to cancel my unwilling crime4--,p4 #bbd4 ,the first expression in these lines seems to have been a favourite with ,dryden4 ,in the ,introduction to the ,translation of ,juvenal1 he makes it his glory1 that1 being naturally vindicative1 he had suffered in silence1 and possessed his soul in quiet4 ,the arguments used by the ,panther in this passage seem to have more weight than her antagonist allows them4 ,it was surely reasonable1 that the church of ,england should rest upon her penal statutes and test act1 as the sole mode of preventing the encroachments of her rival during a ,catholic reign1 and at the same time that she should look forward with pleasure to a future period1 when such severe enactments might be no longer necessary for her safety2 a time1 of which it has been our good fortune to witness the arrival4 ,the argument of the ,panther1 in this speech1 is1 with the simile of the inundation1 literally versified from an answer to ,penn's pamphlet4 ,the penal laws cannot prejudice the ,papists in this king's reign1 seeing he can connive at the non-execution of them1 and the repeal of them now cannot benefit the ,papists when he is gone2 because1 if they do not behave themselves modestly1 we can either re-establish them1 or enact others1 which they will be as little fond of4 ,but their abrogation at this time would infallibly prejudice us1 and would prove to be the pulling up of the sluices1 and the throwing down the dikes1 which stem the deluge that is breaking in upon us1 and which hinder the threatening waves from overflowing us4 ,some reflections on a discourse1 entitled1 ,good ,advice to the ,church of ,england4--,state ,tracts1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #cfh4 ,note ,,xxi4 ,your care about your banks infers a fear ,of threatening floods and inundations near2 ,if so1 a just reprise would only be ,of what the land usurped upon the sea4--,p4 #bbe4 ,this conveys a perilous insinuation1 which perhaps it would1 at the time1 have been prudent to suppress2 since it goes the length of preparing a justification of the resumption of the power1 authority1 lands1 and revenues1 of the church of ,england1 upon the footing of their having originally belonged to that of ,rome4 ,it cannot be supposed that this hint could be passed over at the time1 without a strong feeling of a meditated revolution in church government and property4 ,note ,,xxii4 ,behold how he protects your friends oppressed1 ,receives the banished1 succours the distressed6 ,behold1 for you may read an honest open breast4--,p4 #bbe4 ,burnet1 in the ,history of his ,own ,times1 gives the following account of the relief which ,james1 either from inclination or policy1 extended to the ,french ,protestants1 who were exiled by the recal of the edict of ,nantes4 ,but now the session of ,parliament drew on1 and there was a great expectation of the issue of it4 ,for some weeks before it met1 there was such a number of refugees coming over every day1 who set about a most dismal recital of the persecution in ,france2 and that in so many instances that were crying and odious1 that1 though all endeavours were used to lessen the clamour this had raised1 yet the king did not stick openly to condemn it as both unchristian and unpolitic4 ,he took pains to clear the ,jesuits of it1 and laid the blame of it chiefly on the king1 on ,madame de ,maintenon1 and the ,archbishop of ,paris4 ,he spoke often of it with such vehemence1 that there seemed to be an affectation in it4 ,he did more3 ,he was very kind to the refugees2 he was liberal to many of them2 he ordered a brief for a charitable collection over the nation for them all2 upon which great sums were sent in4 ,they were deposited in good hands1 and well distributed4 ,the king also ordered them to be denizen'd1 without paying fees1 and gave them great immunities4 ,so that1 in all1 there came over1 first and last1 between forty and fifty thousand of that nation4 ,there was such real argument of the cruel and persecuting spirit of popery1 wheresoever it prevailed1 that few could resist this conviction2 so that all men confessed1 that the ,french persecution came very seasonably to awaken the nation1 and open men's eyes in so critical a conjunction2 for upon this session of ,parliament all did depend4--,,burnet1 ,book ,,iv4 ,note ,,xxiii4 ,a plain good man1 whose name is understood1 7,so few deserve the name of plain and good47--,p4 #bbf4 ,these1 and the following lines1 contain a character of ,james ,,ii4 most exquisitely drawn1 though1 it must be owned1 with a flattering pencil4 ,bravery1 economy1 integrity1 are the ingredients which ,dryden has mixed for his colours4 ,without attempting a character of this unfortunate monarch1 we may say a few words on each of the attributes ascribed to him4 ,bravery he unquestionably possessed2 but it was of that ordinary kind1 which1 though unshaken by mere personal danger1 is unable to sustain its possessor in great and embarrassing political emergencies4 ,the economy of ,james1 being one great engine by which he hoped to carry on his projects1 was so rigid as sometimes to border upon avarice4 ,his upright integrity1 the virtue upon which he chiefly prided himself1 and which was the usual theme of courtly panegyric1 frequently deviated into obstinacy4 ,when he had once resolved upon a measure1 he often announced his resolution with imprudence1 and almost always pressed it with an open disregard of consequences4 ,no fault can be more fatal to an ,english king2 because the stream of popular opinion1 which would subside if unopposed1 becomes irresistible when the obstinacy of a monarch persists in attempting to stem it4 ,note ,,xxiv4 ,a sort of ,doves were housed too near their hall1 ,who cross the proverb1 and abound with gall4--,p4 #bbh4 ,the virulent and abusive character which our author here draws of the clergy1 and particularly those of the metropolis1 differs so much from his description of the church of ,england1 in the person of the ,panther1 that we may conclude it was written after the publishing of the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 when the king had decidedly turned his favour from the established church4 ,their quarrel was now irreconcileable1 and at immediate issue2 and ,dryden therefore changes the tone of conciliation1 with which he had hitherto addressed the heretic church1 into that of bitter and unrelenting satire4 ,dryden calls them doves1 in order to pave the way for terming them1 as he does a little below1 birds of ,venus2 as disowning the doctrine of celibacy4 ,the popular opinion1 that a dove has no gall1 is well known4 ,in ,scotland1 this is averred to be owing to the dove which ,noah dismissed from the ark having flown so long1 that his gall broke2 since which occurrence1 none of the species have had any4 ,note ,,xxv4 ,an hideous figure of their foes they drew1 ,nor lines1 nor looks1 nor shades1 nor colours true2 ,and this grotesque design exposed to public view4--,p4 #bca4 ,the ,roman ,catholic pamphlets of the time are filled with complaints1 that their principles were misrepresented by the ,protestant divines2 and that king-killing tenets1 and others of a pernicious or absurd nature1 were unjustly ascribed to them4 ,a tract1 which is written on purpose to explain their real doctrine1 says1 ,is it not strange and severe1 that principles1 and those pretended of faith too1 should be imposed upon men which they themselves renounce and detest8 ,if the ,turks' ,alcoran should1 in like manner1 be urged upon us1 and we hanged up for ,mahometans1 all we could do or say1 in such a case1 would be1 to die patiently1 with protestations of our own innocence4 ,and this is the posture of our condition2 we abhor1 we renounce1 we abominate1 such principles2 we protest against them1 and seal our protestations with our dying breath4 ,what shall we say1 what can we do more8 ,to accuse men as guilty in matters of faith1 which they never owned1 is the same thing as to condemn them for matters of fact which they never did4#bgg ,another author1 speaking in the assumed character of the established church1 says1 that the ,catholic controvertists have often told us1 that we behave ourselves like persons diffident of our cause1 decline disputes on equal terms1 and either misrepresent their tenets1 as appears manifestly in their doctrines of justification and merit1 satisfaction and indulgences2 or else play the buffoons1 joking1 scoffing1 and relating stories1 which1 if true1 would not touch religion4--,a ,remonstrance1 by way of ,address1 c4 ,note ,,xxvi4 ,no ,holland emblem could that malice mend4--,p4 #bca4 ,emblems1 like puns1 being the wit of a heavy people1 the ,dutch seem to have been remarkable for them2 of which1 their old-fashioned prints1 and figured pan-tiles1 are existing evidence4 ,prior thus drolls upon the passage in the text3 ,bayes4 ,oh6 dear ,sir1 you are mighty obliging3 but ,i must needs say at a fable1 or an emblem1 ,i think no man comes near me2 indeed ,i have studied it more than any man4 ,did you ever take notice1 ,mr ,johnson1 of a little thing that has taken mightily about town1 a cat with a top-knot8#bgh ,john4 ,faith1 ,sir1 'tis mighty pretty2 ,i saw it at the coffee-house4 ,bayes4 ',tis a trifle hardly worth owning4 ,i was t'other day at ,will's1 throwing out something of that nature2 and1 i'gad1 the hint was taken1 and out came that picture2 indeed the poor fellow was so civil to present me with a dozen of 'em for my friends4 ,i think ,i have one here in my pocket2 would you please to accept it1 ,mr ,johnson8 ,john4 ,really 'tis very ingenious4 ,bayes4 ,oh1 ,lord1 nothing at all6 ,i could design twenty of 'em in an hour1 if ,i had but witty fellows about me to draw 'em4 ,i was proffered a pension to go into ,holland and contrive their emblems2 but1 hang 'em1 they are dull rogues1 and would spoil my invention4--,hind and ,panther ,transprosed4 ,note ,,xxvii4 ,the noble ,buzzard ever pleased me best4--,p4 #bcc4 ,gilbert ,burnet1 well known as an historian1 was born of a good family in ,scotland1 in #afdc4 ,he went through his studies with success2 and1 being ordained by the ,bishop of ,edinburgh1 obtained the living of ,salton1 in ,east ,lothian1 in #affe4 ,while in this living1 he drew up a memorial of the abuses of the ,scotch bishops1 and was instrumental in procuring the induction of ,presbyterian divines into vacant churches2 a step which he afterwards condemned as imprudent4#bgi ,to measures so unfavourable for ,episcopacy1 ,dryden seems to allude1 in these lines3 ,i know he hates the ,pigeon-house and ,farm1 ,and more1 in time of war1 has done us harm2 ,but all his hate on trivial points depends1 ,give up our forms1 and we shall soon be friends4 ,burnet's opinion1 or rather indifference1 concerning forms1 may be guessed at1 from the applause with which he quotes a saying of ,dr ,henry ,more2 ,none of them are bad enough to make men bad1 and ,i am sure none of them are good enough to make men good4 ,he was next created professor of divinity at ,glasgow2 but as his active temper led him to mingle much in political life1 he speedily distinguished himself rather as a politician than a theologian4 ,in #afgb he was made one of the king's chaplains1 and was in high favour both with ,charles and his brother4 ,he enjoyed much of the countenance of the ,duke of ,lauderdale2 but a quarrel taking place between them1 the duke represented ,burnet's conduct in such terms1 that he was deprived of his chaplainry1 and forced to resign his professor's chair1 and abandon ,scotland4 ,he had an opportunity of revenging himself upon ,lauderdale1 as will be noticed in a subsequent note4 ,during the time of the ,popish plot1 he again received a portion of the royal countenance4 ,he was then preacher at the ,rolls ,chapel1 under the patronage of ,sir ,harbottle ,grimstone1 master of the rolls1 as also lecturer at ,st ,clement's1 and enjoyed a high degree of public consideration4 ,having1 as he conceived1 a fit opportunity to awaken the conscience of ,charles1 he ventured upon sending him a letter1 where he treated his personal vices1 and the faults of his government1 with great severity1#bhj and by which he forfeited his favour for ever4 ,this freedom1 with his low-church tenets1 gave also offence to the ,duke of ,york1 who was1 moreover1 offended with him for some interference in the affair of the ,exclusion1 in which1 if he did not go all the length of ,shaftesbury1 he recommended the appointment of a prince-regent2 a measure scarcely more palatable to the successor4 ,at length1 his regard for ,lord ,russell1 and the share which he took in penning1 or circulating1 his dying declaration1 drew upon him the full resentment of both brothers4 ,to this1 a whimsical accident1 in the choice of a text for the day of the gun-powder plot1 happened to contribute4 ,the preacher chanced 7for we must believe what he assures us1 ex verbo sacerdotis7 to pitch on these words3 ,save me from the lion's mouth2 thou hast delivered me from the horns of the unicorn4 ,this was interpreted as referring to the supporters of the royal arms2 and ,burnet was discharged1 by the king's command1 both from lecturing at ,st ,clement's1 and preaching at the ,rolls ,chapel4 ,after this final breach with the court he went abroad1 and1 having travelled through ,france and ,italy1 settled in ,holland at the court of the ,prince of ,orange4 ,here he did not fail1 with that ready insinuation which seems to have distinguished him1 to make himself of consequence to the prince1 and especially to the princess1 afterwards ,queen ,mary4 ,from this place of refuge he sent forth several papers1 in single sheets1 relating to the controversy in ,england2 and the clergy1 who had formerly looked upon him with some suspicion1 began now to treat with great attention and respect a person so capable of serving their cause4 ,he was consulted upon every emergency2 which confidence was no doubt owing partly to his situation near the person of the ,prince of ,orange1 the ,protestant heir of the crown4 ,he stood forward as the champion of the church of ,england1 in the controversy with ,parker concerning the ,test4#bha ,in the ,history of his ,own ,times1 the bishop talks with complacency of the sway which circumstances had given him among the clergy1 and of the important matters which fell under his management2 for1 by express command of the ,prince of ,orange1 he was admitted into all the secrets of the ,english intrigues4 ,these insinuations of ,burnet's importance1 although they afterwards drew the ridicule of ,pope1 and the ,tory wits of ,queen ,anne's reign1 may1 from the very satire of ,dryden1 be proved to have been well founded4 ,this acquired importance of ,burnet is the alliance between the ,pigeon-house and ,buzzard1 which ,dryden reprobates1 believing1 or wishing to make others believe1 that ,burnet held opinions unfavourable to ,episcopacy4 ,james considered this divine as so formidable an enemy1 that he wrote two very severe letters to his daughter against him1 and proceeded so far as to insist that he should be forbidden the court2 a circumstance which did not prevent his privately receiving a double degree of countenance4 ,a prosecution for high treason was next commenced against ,burnet1 and a demand was made that he should be delivered up2 which the ,states evaded1 by declaring that he was naturalized1 by marrying a ,dutch lady4 ,the court of ,england were then supposed to have formed some plan1 as they had attempted in the case of ,peyton1 of seizing1 or perhaps assassinating him1 and a reward of ,l4 #cjjj was offered for the service4 ,burnet1 however1 confident in the protection of the prince and states of ,holland1 answered1 replied1 and retorted1 and carried on almost an immediate controversy with his sovereign1 dated from the court of his son-in-law4 ,this active politician had a very important share in the ,revolution1 and reaped his reward1 by being advanced to the see of ,salisbury4 ,he died on the #agth of ,march1 #agad-ae4 ,his writings1 theological1 political1 and polemical1 are very numerous2 but he is most remarkable as an historian4 ,the ,history of the ,reformation1 but more especially that of ,his ,own ,times1 raises him to a high rank among our ,english historians4 ,note ,,xxviii4 ,a portly prince1 and goodly to the sight1 ,he seemed a son of ,anach for his height2 ,like those whom stature did to crowns prefer1 ,black-browed1 and bluff1 like ,homer's ,jupiter2 ,broad-backed1 and brawny built1 for love's delight1 ,a prophet formed to make a female proselyte4--,p4 #bcd4 ,the following song1 which is preserved in the ,state ,poems1 gives a similar account of ,burnet's personal appearance3 ,a new ,ballad1 called1 ,the ,brawny ,bishop's ,complaint4 ,to the ,tune of--,packington's ,pound4 ,i4 ,when ,b----t perceived the beautiful dames1 ,who flocked to the chapel of hilly ,st ,james1 ,on their lovers the kindest looks did bestow1 ,and smiled not on him while he bellowed below2 ,to the princess he went1 ,with pious intent1 ,this dangerous ill in the church to prevent3 ,o1 ,madam6 quoth he1 our religion is lost1 ,if the ladies thus ogle the knights of the toast4 ,,ii4 ,your highness observes how ,i labour and sweat1 ,their affections to raise1 and new flames to beget2 ,and sure when ,i preach1 all the world will agree1 ,that their ears and their eyes should be pointed on me3 ,but now ,i can't find1 ,one beauty so kind1 ,as my parts to regard1 or my presence to mind2 ,nay1 ,i scarce have a sight of any one face1 ,but those of old ,oxford1 and ugly ,arglas4 ,,iii4 ,these sorrowful matrons1 with hearts full of truth1 ,repent for the manifold sins of their youth2 ,the rest with their tattle my harmony spoil2 ,and ,bur--ton1 ,an--say1 ,k--gston1 and ,b--le1 ,their minds entertain1 ,with thoughts so profane1 ',tis a-mercy to find that at church they contain2 ,even ,hen--ham's shapes their weak fancies entice1 ,and rather than me they will ogle the ,vice4#bhb ,,iv4 ,these practices1 madam1 my preaching disgrace2 ,shall laymen enjoy the just rights of my place8 ,then all may lament my condition for hard1 ,to thresh in the pulpit without a reward4 ,then pray condescend1 ,such disorders to end1 ,and from the ripe vineyards such labourers send2 ,or build up the seats1 that the beauties may see ,the face of no brawny pretender but me4 ,v4 ,the princess1 by rude importunities pressed1 ,though she laughed at his reasons1 allowed his request2 ,and now ,britain's nymphs1 in ,protestant reign1 ,are locked up at prayers like the virgins in ,spain2 ,and all are undone1 ,as sure as a gun1 ,whenever a woman is kept like a nun1 ,if any kind man from bondage will save her1 ,the lass1 in gratitude1 grants him the favour4 ,the jest of his being a prophet1 formed to make a female proselyte1 was more cutting1 as he had just acquired a right of naturalization in ,holland1 by marrying ,mrs ,mary ,scott1 a ,dutch lady1 but of ,scottish extraction1 being descended of the noble house of ,buccleuch4 ,note ,,xxix4 ,the hero and the tyrant change their style1 ,by the same measure that they frown or smile4--,p4 #bce4 ,it must be owned1 that1 with all ,bishop ,burnet's good qualities1 there are particulars in his history which give colour for this accusation4 ,his opinions were often hastily adopted1 and of course sometimes awkwardly retracted1 and his patrons were frequently changed4 ,thus1 he vindicated the legality of divorce for barrenness on the part of the wife1 and even that of polygamy1 in his resolution of two important cases of conscience4 ,these were intended to pave the way for ,charles divorcing his barren wife ,catherine1 or marrying another2 and so raising a family of his own to succeed him1 instead of the ,duke of ,york4 ,these opinions he formally retracted4 ,notwithstanding his zeal for liberty1 his first work is said by ,swift to have been written in defense of arbitrary power4 ,above all1 his great intimacy with the ,dukes of ,hamilton and ,lauderdale1 the ,king and the ,duke of ,york1 the ,pope and the ,prince of ,orange2 in short1 his having the address to attach himself for a time to almost every leading character1 whom he had an opportunity of approaching1 gives us room to suspect1 that if ,burnet did not change his opinions1 he had at least the art of disguising such as could not be accommodated to those of his immediate patron4 ,when the king demanded that ,burnet should be delivered up by the ,states1 he threatened1 in return1 to justify himself1 by giving an account of the share he had in affairs for twenty years past2 in which he intimated1 he might be driven to mention some particulars1 which would displease the king4 ,this threat1 as he had enjoyed a considerable share of his confidence when ,duke of ,york1 may seem1 in some degree1 to justify ,dryden's heavy charge against him1 of availing himself of past confidence to criminate former patrons4 ,it is remarkable1 also1 that even while he was in the secret of all the intrigues of the ,revolution1 and must have considered it as a near attempt1 he continued to assert the doctrine of passive obedience2 and in his letter to ,middleton1 in vindication of his conduct against the charge of high treason1 there is an affectation of excessive loyalty to the reigning monarch4 ,against these instances of dissimulation1 forced upon him perhaps by circumstances1 but still unworthy and degrading1 we may oppose many others1 in which1 when his principles and interest were placed at issue1 he refused to serve the latter at the expence of the former4 ,note ,,xxx4 ,his praise of foes is venomously nice2 ,so touched1 it turns a virtue to a vice4--,p4 #bce4 ,this applies to the sketches of characters introduced by ,burnet in his controversial tracts4 ,but long after the period when ,dryden wrote1 the publication of the ,history of his ,own ,times confirmed1 to a certain extent1 the censure here imposed4 ,it is a general and just objection to the bishop's historical characters1 that they are drawn up with too much severity1 and that the keenness of party has induced him1 in many cases1 to impose upon the reader a caricature for a resemblance4 ,yet there appears to have been perfect good faith upon his own part2 so that we may safely acquit him of any intention to exaggerate the faults1 or conceal the virtues1 of his political enemies4 ,he seems himself to have been conscious of a disposition to look upon the dark side of humanity4 ,i find1 says he1 that the long experience ,i have had of the baseness1 the malice1 and the falsehood of mankind1 has inclined me to be apt to think generally the worst of men1 and of parties4 ,burnet therefore candidly puts the reader upon his guard against this predominant foible1 and expressly warns him to receive what he advances with some grains of allowance4 ,but whatever was ,burnet's private opinion of the conduct of others1 and however much he might be misled by prejudice in drawing their characters1 it should not be forgotten1 that1 in the moments of triumph which succeeded the ,revolution1 he not only resisted every temptation to revenge for personal injuries1 but employed all his influence to recommend mild and conciliating conduct to the successful party4 ,some1 who had suffered under the severity of ,james's reign1 were extremely indignant at what seemed to them to argue too much feeling for their discomfited adversaries1 and too little sympathy with their own past distresses4 ,samuel ,johnson1 in particular1 reprobates the ,scottish bishop's exhortations to forgiveness and forgetfulness of injuries4 ,and1 besides1 we have ,scotch doctors1 to teach us the art of forgetfulness4 ,pray you have gude memories1 gude memories2 do not remember bad things1 7meaning the murders and oppressions of the last reigns17 but keep your memories for gude things1 have gude memories4 ,to this mimicry of the bishop's dialect1 in which1 however1 he seems to have conveyed most wholesome and sound council1 ,johnson adds1 that1 during the sitting of ,king ,william's first parliament1 while his complaints were before them1 the bishop sent to him his advice1 ,not to name persons4 ,i gave1 says he1 an ,english reply to that message2 ',let him mind his business1 ,i will mind mine4' ,his bookseller1 ,mr ,chiswell1 by whom ,i had the message1 seemed loth to carry him that blunt answer4 ,oh6 said ,i1 he has got the title of a ,lord lately1 ,i must qualify my answer3 ',let him please to mind his own business1 ,i will mind mine4--,this was very natural for one smarting under sufferings1 who complains1 that while a certain traveller1 meaning ,burnet1 was making his court to the cardinals at ,rome1 he got such an almanack in his bones1 7from scourging17 as to incapacitate him from learning this ,scotch trick of a gude memory4#bhc ,but it is the very character of moderate councils to be disgusting to those who have been hurried beyond their patience by oppression2 and ,johnson's testimony1 though given with a contrary view1 is highly honourable to the bishop's prudence4 ,note ,,xxxi4 ,but he1 uncalled1 his patron to controul1 ,divulged the secret whispers of his soul2 ,stood forth the accusing ,satan of his crimes1 ,and offered to the ,moloch of the times4--,p4 #bce4 ,in #afge1 the ,house of ,commons being resolved to assail the ,duke of ,lauderdale1 and knowing that ,burnet1 in whom he had once reposed much confidence1 could bear witness to some dangerous designs and expressions1 appointed the doctor to attend and be examined4 ,his own account of this delicate transaction is as follows3 ,in ,april #afge1 a session of parliament was held1 as preparatory to one that was designed next winter1 in which money was to be asked2 but none was now asked1 it being only called to heal all breaches1 and to beget a good understanding between the king and his people4 ,the ,house of ,commons fell upon ,duke ,lauderdale2 and those who knew what had passed between him and me1 moved1 that ,i should be examined before a committee4 ,i was brought before them4 ,i told them how ,i had been commanded out of town2 but though that was illegal1 yet since it had been let fall1 it was not insisted on4 ,i was next examined concerning his design of arming the ,irish ,papists4 ,i said1 ,i1 as well as others1 had heard him say1 he wished the ,presbyterians in ,scotland would rebel1 that he might bring over the ,irish ,papists to cut their throats4 ,i was next examined concerning the design of bringing a ,scottish army into ,england4 ,i desired to be excused1 as to what had passed in private discourse2 to which ,i thought ,i was not bound to answer1 unless it were high treason4 ,they pressed me long1 and ,i would give them no other answer2 so they all concluded1 that ,i knew great matters2 and reported this specially to the ,house4 ,upon that ,i was sent for1 and brought before the ,house4 ,i stood upon it as ,i had done at the committee1 that ,i was not bound to answer2 that nothing had passed that was high treason2 and as to all other things1 ,i did not think myself bound to discover them4 ,i said farther1 ,i knew the ,duke ,lauderdale was apt to say things in a heat1 which he did not intend to do2 and1 since he had used myself so ill1 ,i thought myself the more obliged not to say any thing that looked like revenge1 for what ,i had met with from him4 ,i was brought four times to the bar2 at last ,i was told1 the ,house thought they had a right to examine into every thing that concerned the safety of the nation1 as well as into matters of treason2 and they looked on me as bound to satisfy them1 otherwise they would make me feel the weight of their heavy displeasure1 as one that concealed what they thought was necessary to be known4 ,upon this ,i yielded1 and gave an account of the discourse formerly mentioned4 ,they laid great weight on this1 and renewed their address against ,duke ,lauderdale4 ,i was much blamed for what ,i had done4 ,some1 to make it look the worse1 added1 that ,i had been his chaplain1 which was false2 and that ,i had been much obliged to him1 though ,i had never received any real obligation from him1 but had done him great services1 for which ,i had been very unworthily requited3 ,yet the thing had an ill appearance1 as the disclosing of what had passed in confidence2 though ,i make it a great question1 how far even that ought to bind a man when the designs are very wicked1 and the person continued still in the same post and capacity of executing them4 ,i have told the matter as it was1 and must leave myself to the censure of the reader4 ,my love to my country1 and my private friendship1 carried me1 perhaps1 too far2 especially since ,i had declared much against clergymen's meddling in secular affairs1 and yet had run myself so deep in them4--,history of his ,own ,times1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #cge4 ,the discourse to which ,burnet refers was of the following dangerous tendency1 and took place in ,september #afgc4 ,duke4 ,if the king should need an army from ,scotland1 to tame those in ,england1 might the ,scots be depended upon8 ,burnet4 ,certainly not4 ,the commons in the southern parts are all ,presbyterians4 ,the nobility thought they had been ill used1 were generally discontented1 and only waited for an opportunity to show it4 ,duke4 ,i am of another mind4 ,the hope of the spoil of ,england will bring them all in4 ,burnet4 ,the king is ruined if he trusts to that2 for even indifferent persons1 who might otherwise have been ready enough to push their fortunes without any anxious enquiries into the grounds they went upon1 will not now trust the king1 since he has so lately said1 he would stick to his declaration1#bhd and yet has so soon given it up4 ,duke4 ,hinc ill lacrym4 ,the king was forsaken in that matter1 and none sticks to him but ,lord ,clifford and myself4--,ralph1 with the ,authorities he quotes1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #bge4 ,james ,,ii4 afterwards revived the plan of maintaining a ,scottish standing army1 to bridle his ,english subjects4 ,note ,,xxxii4 ,and runs an ,indian muck at all he meets4--,p4 #bce4 ,to run a-muck1 is a phrase derived from a practice of the ,malays4 ,when one of this nation has lost his whole substance by gaming1 or sustained any other great and insupportable calamity1 he intoxicates himself with opium2 and1 having dishevelled his hair1 rushes into the streets1 crying ,amocca1 or ,kill1 and stabbing every one whom he meets with his creeze1 until he is cut down1 or shot1 like a mad dog4 ,note ,,xxxiii4 ,such was1 and is1 the ,captain of the ,test4--,p4 #bcf4 ,burnet may have been thus denominated1 from having written the following pamphlets1 in the controversy respecting the ,test1 against ,parker1 the apostate bishop of ,oxford3 ,an ,enquiry into the ,reasons for ,abrogating the ,test imposed on all ,members of ,parliament1 offered by ,dr ,samuel ,parker1 ,bishop of ,oxford4 ,a ,second ,part of the ,enquiry into the ,reasons offered by ,doctor ,samuel ,parker1 bishop of ,oxford1 for ,abrogating the ,test2 or an ,answer to his plea for ,transubstantiation1 and for ,acquitting the ,church of ,rome of ,idolatry4 ,a ,continuation of the ,second ,part of the ,enquiry into the ,reasons offered by ,dr ,samuel ,parker1 ,bishop of ,oxford1 for ,abrogating the ,test relating to the ,idolatry of the ,church of ,rome4 ,these two last pamphlets were afterwards thrown together in one tract1 entitled1 ,a ,discourse concerning ,transubstantiation and ,idolatry1 being an ,answer to the ,bishop of ,oxford's plea relating to these two points4 ,burnet himself admits1 that his papers1 in this controversy with ,parker1 were written with an acrimony of style which nothing but such a time and such a man could excuse4 ,his papers were so bitter1 that nobody durst offer them to the bishop of ,oxford1 till the king himself sent them to him1 in hopes to stimulate him to an answer4 ,several of these pieces seem to have been published after ,the ,hind and the ,panther2 but it must have been generally known at the time1 that ,burnet had placed himself in the front of this controversy4 ,and much the ,buzzard in their cause did stir1 ,though naming not the patron1 to infer1 ,with all respect1 he was a gross idolater4 ,the passage particularly referred to in these lines occurs in a tract1 entitled1 ,reasons against repealing the ,act of ,parliament1 concerning the ,test1 which is the first of six papers published by ,dr ,burnet when in ,holland1 and reprinted at ,london in #afhi4 ,his words are these3 ,,ix4 ,i am told some think it very indecent to have a test for our parliaments1 in which the king's religion is accused of idolatry2 but if this reason is good in this particular1 it will be full as good against several of the articles of our church1 and many of the homilies4 ,if the church and religion of this nation is so formed by law1 that the king's religion is declared over and over again to be idolatrous1 what help is there for it8 ,it is no other than it was when his majesty was crowned1 and swore to maintain our laws4 ,i hope none will be wanting in all possible respect to his sacred person2 and as we ought to be infinitely sorry to find him engaged in a religion which we must believe idolatrous1 so we are far from the ill manners of reflecting on his person1 or calling him an idolater3 for as every man that reports a lie1 is not for that to be called a liar2 so that1 though the ordering the intention1 and the prejudice of a mis-persuasion1 are such abatements1 that we will not rashly take on us to call every man of the church of ,rome an idolater2 yet1 on the other hand1 we can never lay down our charge against the church of ,rome as guilty of idolatry1 unless at the same time we part with our religion4 ,we cannot suppose that ,burnet was insensible to the poignancy of ,dryden's satire2 for1 although he attempts to treat the poem with contempt1 in the defence of his ,reflections on ,varillas' ,history1 his coarse and virulent character of the poet plainly shows his inward feelings4 ,i have been informed from ,england1 that a gentleman1 who is known both for poetry and other things1 had spent three months in translating ,m4 ,varillas's ,history2 but that1 as soon as my ,reflections appeared1 he discontinued his labour1 finding the credit of his author was gone4 ,now1 if he thinks it is recovered by his ,answer1 he will perhaps go on with his translation2 and this may be1 for aught ,i know1 as good an entertainment for him as the conversation that he had set on between the ,hinds and ,panthers1 and all the rest of animals1 for whom ,m4 ,varillas may serve well enough for an author3 and this history and that poem are such extraordinary things of their kind1 that it will be but suitable to see the author of the worst poem1 become likewise the translator of the worst history1 that the age has produced4 ,if his grace and his wit improve both proportionably1 he will hardly find that he has gained much by the change he has made1 from having no religion to choose one of the worst4 ,it is true1 he had something to sink from1 in matter of wit2 but as for his morals1 it is scarce possible for him to grow a worse man than he was4 ,he has lately wreaked his malice on me for spoiling his three months' labour2 but in it he has done me all the honour that any man can receive from him1 which is to be railed at by him4 ,if ,i had ill-nature enough to prompt me to wish a very bad wish for him1 it should be1 that he would go on and finish his translation4 ,by that it will appear1 whether the ,english nation1 which is the most competent judge in this matter1 has1 upon the seeing our debate1 pronounced in ,m4 ,varillas's favour1 or in mine4 ,it is true1 ,mr ,d4 will suffer a little by it2 but at least it will serve to keep him in from other extravagancies2 and if he gains little honour by this work1 yet he cannot lose so much by it1 as he has done by his last employment4 ,note ,,xxxiv4 ,they long their fellow-subjects to enthral1 ,their patron's promise into question call1 ,and vainly think he meant to make them lords of all4 ,p4 #bcf4 ,part of the controversy which now raged1 turned on the precise meaning of the king's promise1 to maintain the church of ,england as by law established4 ,the church party insisted1 that the ,declaration of ,indulgence was a breach of this promise1 as it suspended their legal safeguards1 the test and penal laws4 ,the advocates for the toleration answered1 that the promise was conditional1 and depended on the church consenting to the abrogation of these laws4 ,this was stated by ,penn1 in his ,good ,advice2 to which the following indignant answer is made by a champion of the church1 perhaps ,burnet himself3 ,and if there be no other way of giving the king an opportunity of keeping his word with the church of ,england1 in preserving her1 and maintaining our religion1 but the repealing of the penal and test laws1 as he intimates unto us1 7,good ,advice1 p4 #ej47 we have not found the royal faith so sacred and inviolable in other instances1 as to rob ourselves of a legal defence and protection1 for to depend upon the precarious one of a base promise1 which his ghostly fathers1 whensoever they find it convenient1 will tell him it was unlawful to make1 and which he can have a dispensation for the breaking of1 at what time he pleaseth4 ,nor do we remember1 that when he pledged his faith unto us1 in so many promises1 that the parting with our laws was declared to be the condition upon which he made1 and undertook to perform them4 ,neither can any have the confidence to allege it1 without having recourse to the ,papal doctrine of mental reservation4 ,which being one of the principles of that order1 under whose conduct he is1 makes us justly afraid to rely upon his word without further security4 ,however1 we do hereby see1 with what little sincerity ,mr ,penn writes2 and what small regard he hath to his majesty's honour1 when he tells the church of ,england1 that if she please1 and like the terms of giving up the penal and test laws against ,papists1 that then the king will perform his word with her2 7,good ,advice1 p4 #ag47 but that otherwise1 it is she who breaks with him1 and not he with her4 7,ibid4 p4 #dd47 ,note ,,xxxv4 ,then1 all maturely weighed1 pronounced a doom ,of sacred strength for every age to come4 ,by this the ,doves their wealth and state possess1 ,no rights infringed1 but license to oppress4--,p4 #bcg4 ,the declaration for liberty of conscience was a strange and incongruous1 as well as most impolitic performance4 ,it set out with declaring1 that although the king heartily wished that all his subjects were members of the ,catholic church1 7which they returned1 by heartily wishing that he were a ,protestant17 yet he abhorred all idea of constraining conscience2 and therefore1 making no doubt of the concurrence of ,parliament1 declared1 #a4 ,that he would protect and maintain the bishops1 c4 of the church of ,england1 as by law established1 in the free exercise of their religion1 and quiet enjoyment of their possessions4 #b4 ,that all execution of penal laws against non-conformists be suspended4 #c4 ,that all his majesty's subjects should be at liberty to serve ,god after their own way1 in public and private1 so nothing was preached against the royal authority4 #d4 ,that the oaths of supremacy and allegiance1 and the tests made in the #beth and #cjth years of ,charles ,,ii41 be discontinued4 #e4 ,that all non-conformists be pardoned for former offences against the penal laws and test4 #f4 ,that abbey and church lands be assured to the possessors4 ,such were the contents of this memorable ,declaration1 in which a bigotted purpose was cloaked under professions of the highest liberality2 and prevarication and falsehood were rendered more disgusting1 by being mingled with very unseasonable truth4 ,note ,,xxxvi4 ,concluding well within his kingly breast1 ,his fowls of nature too unjustly were opprest2 ,he therefore makes all birds1 of every sect1 ,free of his farm4--,p4 #bcg4 ,when the king had irreconcileably quarrelled with the church1 he began to affect a great favour for the dissenters2 and1 as has been often hinted1 endeavoured to represent the measure of universal toleration to be intended as much for the benefit of the ,protestant dissenters as of the ,catholics4 ,he dwelt upon the rigour of the church courts1 and directed an inquiry to be made into all the vexatious suits which had been instituted against the dissenters1 and the compositions which had been exacted from them1 under pretence of enforcing the laws4 ,in short1 ,burnet assures us1 that the royal bed-chamber and drawing-room were as full of stories to the prejudice of the clergy1 as they used formerly to abound with declamations against the fanatics4 ,note ,,xxxvii4 ',tis said1 the ,doves repented1 though too late1 ,become the smiths of their own foolish fate2 ,nor did their owner hasten their ill hour1 ,but1 sunk in credit1 they decreased in power2 ,like snows in warmth that mildly pass away1 ,dissolving in the silence of decay4--,p4 #bch4 ,in the preceding lines1 the poet had intimated the increase of trade and wealth2 an effect of toleration1 much dwelt upon in ,james's proclamation for liberty of conscience1 and1 indeed1 the ostensible cause of its being issued4 ,but ,dryden1 as every one else1 further augured from the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 under the circumstances of the time1 the speedy downfall of the church of ,england1 though he is willing to spare the king the odium of hastening what he represents as the natural consequence of her own ambition and intolerance4 ,a writer of his party is less scrupulous in expressing the king's intentions3 ,so1 on the whole matter1 the loyal church of ,england must either change her old principles of loyalty1 and take example by her ,catholic neighbours1 how to behave herself towards a prince who is not of her persuasion1 or she must give his majesty leave not to nourish a snake in his own bosom1 but rather to withdraw his royal protection1 which was promised on account of her constant fidelity3 ,for it is an approved axiom in philosophy1 ,cessante causa1 tollitur effectus2 and we have a common saying of our own1 ,no longer pipe1 no longer dance4 ,and now let us leave the holy mother church at liberty to consult what new measures of loyalty she ought to take for her own dear interest1 and1 for aught ,i know1 it may be worth her serious consideration4--,new ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,note ,,xxxviii4 ,but each have separate interests of their own2 ,two ,czars are one too many for a throne4 ,nor can the usurper long abstain from food2 ,already he has tasted ,pigeon's blood1 ,and may be tempted to his former fare4--,p4 #bci4 ,dryden insinuates the improbability1 that the high and low church party would long continue in union1 since the authority assumed by ,burnet1 their present advocate1 was inconsistent with that of ,sancroft the primate1 ,compton bishop of ,london1 and other leaders of the high church party among the clergy4 ,he resumes the theme of ,burnet's alleged disinclination for episcopacy4 ,in fact1 although his lot cast him into the church of ,england1 the bishop of ,sarum1 in many parts of his writings1 expresses an unfavourable opinion of her clergy1 whom in one place he calls the most remiss of any in ,europe4 ,even this harsh expression is nothing to the following account of the controversy between the clergy and dissenters1 as it stands in the ,,ms4 of his history2 for it is greatly softened in the printed copy3 ,many books came out likewise against the church of ,england4 ,this alarmed the bishops and clergy much2 so that they set up to preach against rebellion1 and the late times1 in such a strain1 that it was visible they meant a parallel between these and the present time4 ,and this produced at last that heat and rage into which the clergy has run so far1 that it is like to end very fatally4 ,they1 on their part1 should have shewed more temper1 and more of the spirit of the gospel2 whereas1 for the greatest part1 they are the worst natured1 the fiercest1 indiscreetest1 and most persecuting sort of people that are in the nation4 ,there is a sort of them do so aspire to preferment1 that there is nothing so mean and indecent that they will not do to compass it2 and when they have got into preferments1 they take no care1 either of themselves1 or of the flocks committed to their charge1 but do generally neglect their parishes4 ,if they are rich enough1 they hire some pitiful curate1 at as low a price as they can1 and turn all over on him2 or1 if their income will not bear out that1 they perform the public offices in the slightest manner they can1 but take no care of their people in the way of private instruction or admonition2 and so do nothing to justify the character of pastors or watchmen1 that feed the souls of their people1 or watch over them4 ,and they allow themselves in many indecent liberties1 of going to taverns and ale-houses1 and of railing scurrilously against all that differ from them3 and they cherish the profaneness of their people1 if they but come to church1 and rail with them against the dissenters2 and are implacably set on the ruin of all that separate from them1 if the course of their lives were otherwise ever so good and unblameable4 ,in a word1 many of them are a reproach to ,christianity and to their profession2 and are now1 perhaps1 one of the most corrupt bodies of men in the nation4--,somers' ,tracts1 p4 #aaf4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bfd3 ,a ,new ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,footnote #bfe3 ,blue bonnet lords1 a numerous store1 ,whose best example is1 they're poor2 ,merely drawn in by hope of gains1 ,and reap their scandal for their pains2 ,half-starved at court with expectation1 ,forced to return to their ,scotch station1 ,despised and scorned by every nation4 ,the ,new ,converts4 ,footnote #bff3 ,this put the heathen priesthood in a flame1 ,for priests of all religions are the same4 ,absalom and ,achitophel1 ,part ,i4 ,footnote #bfg3 ,a ,vindication of the ,answer to some late ,papers4 ,footnote #bfh3 ,a ,vindication of the ,answer to some late ,papers1 p4 #aaf4 ,footnote #bfi3 ,ibidem1 p4 #aag4--,stillingfleet plays on this expression of the grim logician1 in allusion to a passage of our author's ,defence of the ,duchess of ,york's ,paper2 where he says1 ,that the kingdom of heaven is not only for the wise and learned1 and that our ,saviour's disciples were but poor fishermen2 and we read but of one of his apostles who was bred up at the feet of ,gamaliel1 and that poor people have souls to save1 as precious in the sight of ,god as the grim logician's4 ,dryden retorts it upon him in the text4 ,footnote #bgj3 ,a ,vindication1 c4 p4 #a4 ,footnote #bga3 ,ergoteering was a phrase used by ,dryden in his ,defence of the ,duchess's ,paper1 and which ,stillingfleet harps upon throughout his ,vindication4 ,footnote #bgb3 ,ralph's ,history1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #icc4--,secret ,consults1 c4 of the ,roman ,party1 p4 #ei4 ,footnote #bgc3 ,one ,petre1 descended from a noble family2 a man of no learning1 nor any way famed for his virtue1 but who made up all in boldness and zeal1 was the ,jesuit of them all1 that seemed animated with the most courage4--,,burnet4 ,footnote #bgd3 ,we have1 says one of the order1 a good while begun to get footing in ,england4 ,we teach humanity at ,lincoln1 ,norwich1 and ,york4 ,at ,warwick1 we have a public chapel secured from all injuries by the king's soldiers2 we have also bought some houses of the city of ,wiggorn1 in the province of ,lancaster4 ,the ,catholic cause very much increaseth4 ,in some ,catholic churches1 upon holidays1 above #aejj are always numbered present at the sermon4 ,at ,london1 likewise1 things succeed no worse4 ,every holiday1 or preaching1 people are so frequent1 that many of the chapels cannot contain them4 ,two of our fathers1 ,darmes and ,berfall1 do constantly say mass before the king and queen4 ,father ,edmund ,newill1 before the queen-dowager1 ,father ,alexander ,regnes in the chapel of the ambassador aforesaid1 others in other places4 ,many houses are bought for the college in the ,savoy1 as they call it1 nigh ,somerset-house1 ,london1 the palace of the queen-dowager1 to the value of about eighteen thousand florins2 in making of which1 after the form of a college1 they labour very hard1 that the schools may be opened before ,easter4 ,a ,letter from a ,jesuit at ,liege4 ,somers' ,tracts1 p4 #bdh4 ,about this letter1 see ,burnet's ,history1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #gaa4 ,the king also granted the manor of ,york to ,lawson1 a priest1 for thirty years1 as a seminary for the education of youth in the ,catholic faith2 to the great displeasure of ,sir ,john ,reresby1 the governor of the city1 who had fitted it up for his own residence4 ,see his ,memoirs1 pp4 #bde1 #bdf4 ,footnote #bge3 ,so says the memorable ,test of the ,church of ,england's ,loyalty4 ,footnote #bgf3 ,new ,test1 c4 ,footnote #bgg3 ,roman ,catholic ,principles1 #afhj4 ,footnote #bgh3 ,there is a copy of this old caricature print in ,luttrell's ,collection4 ,footnote #bgi3 ,history of his ,own ,times1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #bhj4 ,footnote #bhj3 ,see ,burnet's ,life1 by his ,son1 p4 #fhf4 ,footnote #bha3 ,see ,dr ,flexman's catalogue of his works1 under the head ,tracts1 ,political1 ,polemical1 and ,miscellaneous4 ,footnote #bhb3 ,mr ,b--ty1 vice-chamberlain4 ,footnote #bhc3 ,notes on the ,phnix ,pastoral ,letter1 ,johnson's ,works1 pp4 #cag1 #cah4 ,footnote #bhd3 ,the ,declaration of ,indulgence4 ,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #ddg4 ,,britannia ,,rediviva3 ,a ,,poem ,,on ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,the ,,prince1 7,,born #aj,,th ,,june1 #afhh47 ,di patrii indigetes1 et ,romule1 ,vestaque mater1 ,qu ,tuscum ,tyberim et ,romana palatia servas1 ,hunc saltem everso puerum succurrere sclo ,ne prohibete6 satis jampridem sanguine nostro ,laomedonte luimus perjuria ,troj4 ,,virg4 ,,georg4 #a4 ,,britannia ,,rediviva4 ,the remarkable incident1 which gave rise to the following poem1 was hailed by the ,catholics with the most unbounded joy4 ,that party1 whose transient prosperity depended upon the declining life of ,james ,,ii41 could hardly enjoy their present power1 embittered as it was by the reflection1 that it must end with the reign of the king and the succession of the ,princess of ,orange4 ,many circumstances seemed to render the hopes of the king having a male heir of his body extremely precarious4 ,his system was said to have been injured by early dissipation1 and he was now advanced in life4 ,the queen1 also1 had been in a bad state of health2 had lost all her children soon after they were born2 and had now1 for several years1 ceased to have any4 ,amidst these discouraging considerations1 the queen's pregnancy was announced in #afhg2 and even before his birth1 addressers and panegyrists in verse hailed the future prince1 as a pledge for the maintenance of liberty of conscience1 and the security of the royal line4#bhe ,but the ,catholics were so transported with this unexpected happiness1 that they could not refrain from spreading an hundred follies1 tending to connect the queen's pregnancy with the efficacy of the king's faith4 ,some said1 that the queen's conception took place at the very time when her mother made a vow to the ,lady of ,loretto1 that her daughter might by her means have a son3 ,others attributed it to the queen's personal influence with ,saint ,xavier3 ,others to the intercessions of the ,jesuits1 among whom the king had enrolled himself3 ,all ascribed so happy and unhoped an event to something more than mere natural causes1 and ventured to presage1 that the joyful fruit of the queen's conception would prove a son1 since otherwise1 it was said1 ,god would have done his work by halves4#bhf ,it is dangerous for a religious sect to cry1 a miracle6 for it is always echoed by their adversaries1 shouting out1 an imposture6 ,the same circumstances which induced the ,catholics to believe that this happy event was owing to a peculiar divine interposition1 led the nation to ascribe so unexpected and opportune an occurrence to artifice and imposition2 and they were prepared to pronounce a birth spurious1 which their adversaries had incautiously pushed to the verge of miraculous4 ,on the #ajth of ,june1 #afhh1 the prince was born1 under circumstances which ought to have removed all suspicion of imposture4 ,but these suspicions were too deeply rooted in party prejudices and fears2 and it became a distinguishing mark of a true ,protestant1 to hold for spurious the birth of a prince1 which took place in the presence of more people than is either consistent with custom or decency4 ,in the mean while1 public rejoicings1 of the most splendid kind1 were solemnized at home and abroad2#bhg and the poets flocked with their addresses of congratulation#bhh on the birth of a ,prince of ,wales1 who was doomed shortly to be distinguished through the ,english dominions by the ignominious appellation of ,pretender1 and abroad1 by the dubious title of ,chevalier de ,st ,george4 ,it was peculiarly the part of our author1 as poet-laureat1 and a good ,catholic1 to solemnize an event of so much importance to the king1 and those of his religion1 and to bear down1 if possible1 the popular prejudice by the exertion of his poetical powers4 ,britannia ,rediviva was written1 nine days after the event celebrated1 and published accordingly4 ,it is licensed on the #aith of ,june4 ,in this poem1 our author assumes the tone and feeling which we have described as general among the ,catholics1 upon this happy and unexpected event4 ,it is less an address of congratulation than a solemn devotional hymn2 and1 even considered as such1 abounds with expressions of awful gratitude1 rather for a miraculous interposition of heaven and the blessed saints1 than for a blessing conferred through the ordinary course of nature4 ,dryden1 who knew how to assume every style that fitted the occasion1 writes here in the character of a devout and grateful ,catholic1 with much of the unction which marks the hymns of the ,roman church4 ,in ,english poetry1 we have hardly another example of the peculiar tone which the invocation of saints1 and an enthusiastic faith in the mystic doctrines of the ,catholic faith1 can give to poetry4 ,to me1 ,i confess1 that communion seems to offer the same facilities to the poet1 which it has been long famous for affording to the painter2 and the ,britannia ,rediviva1 while it celebrates the mystic influence of the sacred festivals of the ,paraclete and the ,trinity1 and introduces the warlike forms of ,st ,michael and ,st ,george1 has often reminded me of one of the ancient altar pieces1 which it is impossible to regard without reverence1 though presenting miracles which never happened1 or saints who never existed4 ,these subordinate divinities are something upon which the imagination1 dazzled and overwhelmed by the contemplation of a single ,omnipotent ,being1 can fairly rest and expand itself4 ,they approach nearer to humanity and to comprehension2 yet are sufficiently removed from both1 to have the full effect of sublime obscurity4 ,dryden has undoubtedly reaped considerable advantage from religion in the present poem4 ,it must1 however1 be owned1 that the effect of these passages is much injured by the frequent allusion to the deities of classical mythology2 and that ,dryden has ranked the gods and goddesses of ancient ,rome with the saints of her modern church1 in the same indiscriminate order in which they are classed in the ,pantheon4 ,we have the ,giants' ,war immediately preceding the miracle wrought on the ,shunamite's son2 and the serpents of the infant ,hercules are classed in the very sentence with the dragons of the ,apocalypse4 ,on one occasion he has stooped yet lower1 and condescended to pun upon the child's being born on ,trinity ,sunday1 as promising at least a trine of infant princes4 ,still1 however1 the strain of the poem is1 upon the whole1 grave and exalted4 ,besides the general tone of ,britannia ,rediviva1 there are many passages in it deserving the reader's attention4 ,the address to the queen1 beginning1 ,but you1 propitious queen1 has all the smoothness with which ,dryden could vary the masculine character of his general poetry1 when he addressed the female sex1 and forms a marked contrast to the more majestic tone of the rest of the piece4 ,it may indeed be said of ,dryden1 as he himself says of ,virgil1 that though he is smooth where smoothness is required1 yet he is so far from affecting that general character1 that he seems rather to disdain it4 ,the original edition of the ,britannia ,rediviva is in quarto1 printed1 as usual1 for ,tonson1 with a motto from the first book of the ,georgics1 which is now restored4 ,the concluding lines refer to the death of so many ,catholics by the perjured evidences of ,oates and ,bedlow3 ---- satis jampridem sanguine nostro ,laomedonte luimus perjuria ,troj4 ,the word perjuria1 as well as ,puerum1 in the preceding passage1 are marked by a difference of type2 a mode of soliciting the attention of the reader to a pointed remark or inuendo1 which was first used in ,charles ,,ii4's time1 and seems to have been introduced by ,l',estrange1 who carried it to a most extravagant degree1 chequering his ,observators with all manner of characters1 from the ,roman to the ,anglo-,saxon4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bhe3 ,the addresses of the grand juries of the counties of ,monmouth1 ,stafford1 ,glocester1 ,yorkshire1 c4 c41 all pressed forward upon this occasion1 and are all positive that the blessed hope of the queen's womb must necessarily prove a son1 since the king seemed to have very little occasion for more daughters4 ,edmund ,arwaker is of the same opinion1 in his poem humbly dedicated to the queen1 on occasion of her majesty's happy conception4 ,footnote #bhf3 ,that which does us most harm with the lords and great men1 is the apprehension of a heretic successor3 ,for as a lord told me lately1 assure me of a ,catholic successor1 and ,i assure you ,i and my family will be so too4 ,to this purpose the queen's happy delivery will be of very great moment4 ,our zealous ,catholics do already lay two to one that it will be a prince4 ,god does nothing by halves1 and every day masses are said upon this very occasion4--,letter from ,father ,petre to ,father ,la ,chaise4 ,this letter is a forgery1 but it distinctly expresses the hopes and apprehensions of both parties4 ,footnote #bhg3 ,the most remarkable were celebrated at the ,hague1 by the ,marquis of ,abbeville1 his majesty's ambassador there4 ,on one side of a triumphal arch were the figures of ,truth and ,justice1 with this inscription3 ,veritas et ,justitia fulcimentum throni ,patris et erunt mei3 ,on the other side were ,religion and ,liberty embracing1 with this motto1 ,religio et ,libertas amplexat erant4 ,on the portico was painted the conquest of the dragon by ,st ,george1 and the delivery of ,st ,margaret1 explained to allude to the liberty of conscience procured by ,james's abolition of the test and penal laws4 ,these decorations1 remarkable for their import1 and the place in which they were exhibited1 were accompanied with the discharge of fire-works1 and other public rejoicings4 ,there are particular accounts of the splendid rejoicings at ,ratisbon and ,paris1 c4 c4 in the ,gazettes of the period4 ,footnote #bhh3 ,as for example1 the poets of ,isis1 in a collection called ,stren ,nataliti in ,celsissimum principem4--,oxoni2 ,e ,theatro ,shedoniano1 #afhh4 ,consisting of ,latin1 ,greek1 ,arabic1 and ,turkish1 pastoral1 heroic1 and lyrical pieces1 on this happy topic4 ,the following poems are in the ,luttrell ,collection3 ,votum pro ,principe4 ,to the ,king1 upon the ,queen's being delivered of a ,son2 by ,john ,baber1 ,esq4 ,to the ,king1 on ditto2 by ,william ,niven1 late master of the music school of ,inverness1 in ,scotland4 ,surely the very ultima ,thule of poetry4 ,a ,congratulatory ,poem on ditto1 by ,mrs ,behn4 ,a ,pindarique ,ode on ditto1 by ,calib ,calle4 ,,britannia ,,rediviva4 ,our vows are heard betimes1 and heaven takes care ,to grant1 before we can conclude the prayer2 ,preventing angels met it half the way1 ,and sent us back to praise1 who came to pray4 ,just on the day1 when the high-mounted sun ,did farthest in its northern progress run1#bhi ,he bended forward1 and even stretched the sphere ,beyond the limits of the lengthened year1 ,to view a brighter sun in ,britain born2 ,that was the business of his longest morn2 ,the glorious object seen1 'twas time to turn4 ,departing spring could only stay to shed ,her gloomy beauties on the genial bed1 ,but left the manly summer in her stead1 ,with timely fruit the longing land to cheer1 ,and to fulfil the promise of the year4 ,betwixt two seasons comes the auspicious heir1 ,this age to blossom1 and the next to bear4 ,last solemn ,sabbath#bij saw the church attend1 ,the ,paraclete in fiery pomp descend2 ,but when his wonderous octave#bia rolled again1 ,he brought a royal infant in his train3 ,so great a blessing to so good a king1 ,none but the ,eternal ,comforter could bring4 ,or did the mighty ,trinity conspire1 ,as once in council to create our sire8 ,it seems as if they sent the new-born guest1 ,to wait on the procession of their feast2 ,and on their sacred anniverse decreed ,to stamp their image on the promised seed4 ,three realms united1 and on one bestowed1 ,an emblem of their mystic union showed2 ,the ,mighty ,trine the triple empire shared1 ,as every person would have one to guard4 ,hail1 son of prayers6 by holy violence ,drawn down from heaven2#bib but long be banished thence1 ,and late to thy paternal skies retire6 ,to mend our crimes1 whole ages would require2 ,to change the inveterate habit of our sins1 ,and finish what thy godlike sire begins4 ,kind heaven1 to make us ,englishmen again1 ,no less can give us than a patriarch's reign4 ,the sacred cradle to your charge receive1 ,ye seraphs1 and by turns the guard relieve2 ,thy father's angel1 and thy father join1 ,to keep possession1 and secure the line2 ,but long defer the honours of thy fate2 ,great may they be like his1 like his be late1 ,that ,james this running century may view1 ,and give this son an auspice to the new4 ,our wants exact at least that moderate stay2 ,for1 see the dragon#bic winged on his way1 ,to watch the travail1#bid and devour the prey3 ,or1 if allusions may not rise so high1 ,thus1 when ,alcides raised his infant cry1 ,the snakes besieged his young divinity2 ,but vainly with their forked tongues they threat1 ,for opposition makes a hero great4 ,to needful succour all the good will run1 ,and ,jove assert the godhead of his son4 ,o still repining at your present state1 ,grudging yourselves the benefits of fate2 ,look up1 and read in characters of light ,a blessing sent you in your own despite6 ,the manna falls1 yet that celestial bread1 ,like ,jews1 you munch1 and murmur while you feed4 ,may not your fortune be1 like theirs1 exiled1 ,yet forty years to wander in the wild6 ,or1 if it be1 may ,moses live at least1 ,to lead you to the verge of promised rest6 ,though poets are not prophets1 to foreknow ,what plants will take the blight1 and what will grow1 ,by tracing heaven1 his footsteps may be found2 ,behold1 how awfully he walks the round6 ,god is abroad1 and1 wondrous in his ways1 ,the rise of empires1 and their fall1 surveys2 ,more1 might ,i say1 than with an usual eye1 ,he sees his bleeding church in ruins lie1 ,and hears the souls of saints beneath his altar cry4 ,already has he lifted high the sign1 ,which crowned the conquering arms of ,constantine4#bie ,the moon#bif grows pale at that presaging sight1 ,and half her train of stars have lost their light4 ,behold another ,sylvester1#big to bless ,the sacred standard1 and secure success2 ,large of his treasures1 of a soul so great1 ,as fills and crowds his universal seat4 ,now view at home a second ,constantine2#bih 7,the former too was of the ,british line17 ,has not his healing balm your breaches closed1 ,whose exile many sought1 and few opposed8#bii ,o1 did not heaven1 by its eternal doom1 ,permit those evils1 that this good might come8 ,so manifest1 that even the moon-eyed sects ,see whom and what this ,providence protects4 ,methinks1 had we within our minds no more ,than that one shipwreck on the fatal ,ore1#cjj ,that only thought may make us think again1 ,what wonders ,god reserves for such a reign4 ,to dream1 that chance his preservation wrought1 ,were to think ,noah was preserved for nought2 ,or the surviving eight were not designed ,to people earth1 and to restore their kind4 ,when humbly on the royal babe we gaze1 ,the manly lines of a majestic face ,give awful joy2 'tis paradise to look ,on the fair frontispiece of nature's book3 ,if the first opening page so charms the sight1 ,think how the unfolded volume will delight6 ,see how the venerable#cja infant lies ,in early pomp2 how through the mother's eyes ,the father's soul1 with an undaunted view1 ,looks out1 and takes our homage as his due6 ,see on his future subjects how he smiles1 ,nor meanly flatters1 nor with craft beguiles2 ,but with an open face1 as on his throne1 ,assures our birthrights1 and assumes his own ,born in broad day-light1 that the ungrateful rout ,may find no room for a remaining doubt2#cjb ,truth1 which itself is light1 does darkness shun1 ,and the true eaglet safely dares the sun4 ,fain#cjc would the fiends have made a dubious birth1 ,loth to confess the godhead clothed in earth2 ,but1 sickened1 after all their baffled lies1 ,to find an heir apparent in the skies1 ,abandoned to despair1 still may they grudge1 ,and1 owning not the ,saviour1 prove the judge4 ,not great neas stood in plainer day1#cjd ,when the dark mantling mist dissolved away2 ,he to the ,tyrians showed his sudden face1 ,shining with all his goddess mother's grace2 ,for she herself had made his countenance bright1 ,breathed honour on his eyes1 and her own purple light4 ,if our victorious ,edward1#cje as they say1 ,gave ,wales a prince on that propitious day1 ,why may not years revolving with his fate ,produce his like1 but with a longer date2 ,one1 who may carry to a distant shore ,the terror that his famed forefather bore8 ,but why should ,james1 or his young hero1 stay ,for slight presages of a name or day8 ,we need no ,edward's fortune to adorn ,that happy moment when our prince was born2 ,our prince adorns this day1 and ages hence ,shall wish his birth-day for some future prince4 ,great ,michael1#cjf prince of all the etherial hosts1 ,and whate'er inborn saints our ,britain boasts2 ,and thou1 the adopted patron#cjg of our isle1 ,with cheerful aspects on this infant smile6 ,the pledge of heaven1 which1 dropping from above1 ,secures our bliss1 and reconciles his love4 ,enough of ills our dire rebellion wrought1#cjh ,when to the dregs we drank the bitter draught2 ,then airy atoms did in plagues conspire1 ,nor did the avenging angel yet retire1 ,but purged our still-increasing crimes with fire4#cji ,then perjured plots1#caj the still impending test1#caa ,and worse--#cab but charity conceals the rest4 ,here stop the current of the sanguine flood2 ,require not1 gracious ,god6 thy martyrs' blood2 ,but let their dying pangs1 their living toil1 ,spread a rich harvest through their native soil2 ,a harvest ripening for another reign1 ,of which this royal babe may reap the grain4 ,enough of early ,saints one womb has given1 ,enough increased the family of heaven2#cac ,let them for his and our atonement go1 ,and1 reigning blest above1 leave him to rule below4 ,enough already has the year foreslowed ,his wonted course1 the sea has overflowed1 ,the meads were floated with a weeping spring1 ,and frightened birds in woods forgot to sing2 ,the strong-limbed steed beneath his harness faints1 ,and the same shivering sweat his lord attaints4#cad ,when will the minister of wrath give o'er8 ,behold him at ,araunah's threshing-floor6 ,he stops1 and seems to sheath his flaming brand1 ,pleased with burnt incense from our ,david's hand2#cae ,david has bought the ,jebusite's abode1 ,and raised an altar to the living ,god4 ,heaven1 to reward him1 makes his joys sincere2 ,no future ills nor accidents appear1 ,to sully and pollute the sacred infant's year4 ,five months to discord and debate were given2#caf ,he sanctifies the yet remaining seven4 ,sabbath of months6 henceforth in him be blest1 ,and prelude to the realms perpetual rest6 ,let his baptismal drops for us atone2#cag ,lustrations for offences not his own3 ,let conscience1 which is interest ill disguised1#cah ,in the same font be cleansed1 and all the land baptized4 ,unnamed#cai as yet2 at least unknown to fame2 ,is there a strife in heaven about his name1 ,where every famous predecessor vies1 ,and makes a faction for it in the skies8 ,or must it be reserved to thought alone8 ,such was the sacred ,tetragrammaton4#cbj ,things worthy silence must not be revealed2 ,thus the true name of ,rome#cba was kept concealed1 ,to shun the spells and sorceries of those1 ,who durst her infant majesty oppose4 ,but when his tender strength in time shall rise ,to dare ill tongues1 and fascinating eyes1 ,this isle1 which hides the little ,thunderer's fame1 ,shall be too narrow to contain his name3 ,the artillery of heaven shall make him known2 ,crete#cbb could not hold the god1 when ,jove was grown4 ,as ,jove's increase1#cbc who from his brain was born1 ,whom arms and arts did equally adorn1 ,free of the breast was bred1 whose milky taste ,minerva's name to ,venus had debased2 ,so this imperial babe rejects the food1 ,that mixes monarch's with plebeian blood3#cbd ,food that his inborn courage might controul1 ,extinguish all the father in his soul1 ,and for his ,estian race1 and ,saxon strain1 ,might reproduce some second ,richard's reign4 ,mildness he shares from both his parents' blood2 ,but kings too tame are despicably good3 ,be this the mixture of this regal child1 ,by nature manly1 but by virtue mild4 ,thus far the furious transport of the news ,had to prophetic madness fired the muse2 ,madness ungovernable1 uninspired1 ,swift to foretel whatever she desired4 ,was it for me the dark abyss to tread1 ,and read the book which angels cannot read8 ,how was ,i punished1 when the sudden blast#cbe ,the face of heaven1 and our young sun1 o'ercast6 ,fame1 the swift ill increasing as she rolled1 ,disease1 despair1 and death1 at three reprises told3 ,at three insulting strides she stalked the town1 ,and1 like contagion1 struck the loyal down4 ,down fell the winnowed wheat2 but1 mounted high1 ,the whirlwind bore the chaff1 and hid the sky4 ,here black rebellion shooting from below1 7,as earth's gigantic brood by moments grow17 ,and here the sons of ,god are petrified with woe3 ,an apoplex of grief6 so low were driven ,the saints1 as hardly to defend their heaven4 ,as1 when pent vapours run their hollow round1 ,earthquakes1 which are convulsions of the ground1 ,break bellowing forth1 and no confinement brook1 ,till the third settles what the former shook2 ,such heavings had our souls1 till1 slow and late1 ,our life with his returned1 and faith prevailed on fate4 ,by prayers the mighty blessing was implored1 ,to prayers was granted1 and by prayers restored4 ,so1 ere the ,shunamite a son conceived1 ,the prophet promised1 and the wife believed2 ,a son was sent1 the son so much desired1 ,but soon upon the mother's knees expired4 ,the troubled seer approached the mournful door1 ,ran1 prayed1 and sent his pastoral staff before1 ,then stretched his limbs upon the child1 and mourned1 ,till warmth1 and breath1 and a new soul returned4#cbf ,thus mercy stretches out her hand1 and saves ,desponding ,peter1 sinking in the waves4 ,as when a sudden storm of hail and rain ,beats to the ground the yet unbearded grain1 ,think not the hopes of harvest are destroyed ,on the flat field1 and on the naked void2 ,the light1 unloaded stem1 from tempest freed1 ,will raise the youthful honours of his head2 ,and1 soon restored by native vigour1 bear ,the timely product of the bounteous year4 ,nor yet conclude all fiery trials past1 ,for heaven will exercise us to the last2 ,sometimes will check us in our full career1 ,with doubtful blessings1 and with mingled fear1 ,that1 still depending on his daily grace1 ,his every mercy for an alms may pass2 ,with sparing hands will diet us to good1 ,preventing surfeits of our pampered blood4 ,so feeds the mother bird her craving young ,with little morsels1 and delays them long4 ,true1 this last blessing was a royal feast2 ,but where's the wedding-garment on the guest8 ,our manners1 as religion were a dream1 ,are such as teach the nations to blaspheme4 ,in lusts we wallow1 and with pride we swell1 ,and injuries with injuries repel2 ,prompt to revenge1 not daring to forgive1 ,our lives unteach the doctrine we believe4 ,thus ,israel sinned1 impenitently hard1 ,and vainly thought the present ark their guard2#cbg ,but when the haughty ,philistines appear1 ,they fled1 abandoned to their foes and fear2 ,their ,god was absent1 though his ark was there4 ,ah6 lest our crimes should snatch this pledge away1 ,and make our joys the blessings of a day6 ,for we have sinned him hence1 and that he lives1 ,god to his promise1 not our practice1 gives4 ,our crimes would soon weigh down the guilty scale1 ,but ,james and ,mary1 and the church prevail4 ,nor ,amalek#cbh can rout the chosen bands1 ,while ,hur and ,aaron hold up ,moses' hands4 ,by living well1 let us secure his days1 ,moderate in hopes1 and humble in our ways4 ,no force the free-born spirit can constrain1 ,but charity1 and great examples gain4 ,forgiveness is our thanks for such a day2 ',tis godlike ,god in his own coin to pay4 ,but you1 propitious queen1 translated here1 ,from your mild heaven1 to rule our rugged sphere1 ,beyond the sunny walks1 and circling year2 ,you1 who your native climate have bereft ,of all the virtues1 and the vices left2 ,whom piety and beauty make their boast1 ,though beautiful is well in pious lost2 ,so lost as star-light is dissolved away1 ,and melts into the brightness of the day2 ,or gold about the royal diadem1 ,lost1 to improve the lustre of the gem1-- ,what can we add to your triumphant day8 ,let the great gift the beauteous giver pay2 ,for should our thanks awake the rising sun1 ,and lengthen1 as his latest shadows run1 ,that1 though the longest day1 would soon1 too soon be done4 ,let angels' voices with their harps conspire1 ,but keep the auspicious infant from the choir2 ,late let him sing above1 and let us know ,no sweeter music than his cries below4 ,nor can ,i wish to you1 great monarch1 more ,than such an annual income to your store2 ,the day1 which gave this unit1 did not shine ,for a less omen1 than to fill the trine4 ,after a prince1 an admiral beget2 ,the ,royal ,sovereign wants an anchor yet4 ,our isle has younger titles still in store1 ,and when the exhausted land can yield no more1 ,your line can force them from a foreign shore4 ,the name of great your martial mind will suit2 ,but justice is your darling attribute3 ,of all the ,greeks1 'twas but one hero's due1#cbi ,and1 in him1 ,plutarch prophesied of you4 ,a prince's favours but on few can fall1 ,but justice is a virtue shared by all4 ,some kings the name of conquerors have assumed1 ,some to be great1 some to be gods presumed2 ,but boundless power1 and arbitrary lust1 ,made tyrants still abhor the name of just2 ,they shunned the praise this godlike virtue gives1 ,and feared a title that reproached their lives4 ,the power1 from which all kings derive their state1 ,whom they pretend1 at least1 to imitate1 ,is equal both to punish and reward2 ,for few would love their ,god1 unless they feared4 ,resistless force and immortality ,make but a lame1 imperfect deity2 ,tempests have force unbounded to destroy1 ,and deathless being even the damned enjoy2 ,and yet heaven's attributes1 both last and first1 ,one without life1 and one with life accurst2 ,but justice is heaven's self1 so strictly he1 ,that could it fail1 the godhead could not be4 ,this virtue is your own2 but life and state ,are1 one to fortune subject1 one to fate3 ,equal to all1 you justly frown or smile2 ,nor hopes nor fears your steady hand beguile2 ,yourself our balance hold1 the world's our isle4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bhi3 ,the #ajth of ,june4 ,footnote #bij3 ,whitsunday4 ,footnote #bia3 ,trinity ,sunday1 the octave of ,whitsunday4 ,footnote #bib3 ,note ,i4 ,footnote #bic3 ,alluding only to the commonwealth party here1 and in other parts of the poem4 ,,dryden4--,see ,note ,,ii4 ,footnote #bid3 ,rev4 xii4 v4 #d4 ,footnote #bie3 ,the ,cross4 ,footnote #bif3 ,the ,crescent1 which the ,turks bear for their arms4 ,,dryden4 ,note ,,iii4 ,footnote #big3 ,the ,pope1 in the time of ,constantine the ,great2 alluding to the present ,pope4 ,,dryden4--,see ,note ,,iv4 ,footnote #bih3 ,king ,james ,,ii4 ,footnote #bii3 ,bill of ,exclusion4 ,footnote #cjj3 ,the ,lemmon ,ore1 on which the vessel of ,king ,james was lost in his return from ,scotland4 ,the crew perished1 and he himself escaped with difficulty4 ,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #dja4 ,footnote #cja3 ,venerable is here used in its original sense1 as deserving of veneration4 ,but the epithet has been so commonly connected with old age1 that a modern poet would hardly venture to apply it to an infant4 ,footnote #cjb3 ,note ,v4 ,footnote #cjc3 ,alluding to the temptation in the wilderness4 ,footnote #cjd3 ,restitit neas1 clarque in luce refulsit1 ,os1 humerosque deo similis2 namque ipsa decoram ,csariem nato genetrix1 lumenque juvent ,purpureum1 et ltos oculis afflarat honores4 neid1 ,lib4 ,i4 ,footnote #cje3 ,edward the ,black ,prince1 born on ,trinity ,sunday4 ,footnote #cjf3 ,the motto of the poem explained4 ,footnote #cjg3 ,st ,george4 ,footnote #cjh3 ,the great ,civil ,war4 ,footnote #cji3 ,the ,fire of ,london4 ,footnote #caj3 ,the ,popish plot4 ,footnote #caa3 ,the ,test-act4 ,footnote #cab3 ,the death of the ,jesuits1 executed for the ,plot4 ,footnote #cac3 ,all the queen's former children died in infancy4 ,footnote #cad3 ,the year #afhh1 big with so many events of importance1 commenced very unfavourably with stormy weather1 and an epidemical distemper among men and cattle4 ,footnote #cae3 #a ,kings1 chap1 xxxiv4 ,footnote #caf3 ,note ,,vi4 ,footnote #cag3 ,original sin1 supposed to be washed off by baptism4 ,footnote #cah3 ,see ,the ,hind and the ,panther1 p4 #bbd4 ,footnote #cai3 ,the prince christened1 but not named4 ,footnote #cbj3 ,jehovah1 or the name of ,god1 unlawful to be pronounced by the ,jews4 ,,dryden4 ,footnote #cba3 ,some authors say1 that the true name of ,rome was kept a secret1 ne hostes incantamentis deos elicerent4 ,,dryden4 ,footnote #cbb3 ,candia1 where ,jupiter was born and lived secretly4 ,,dryden4 ,footnote #cbc3 ,pallas1 or ,minerva1 said by the poets to have been bred up by hand4 ,,dryden4 ,footnote #cbd3 ,the prince had no wet nurse4 ,footnote #cbe3 ,the sudden false report of the prince's death4 ,see ,note ,,vii4 ,footnote #cbf3 #b ,kings1 chap4 iv4 ,footnote #cbg3 #a ,samuel1 chap4 iv4 v4 #aj4 ,footnote #cbh3 ,exodus1 chap4 xvii4 v4 #h4 ,footnote #cbi3 ,aristides4 ,see his ,life in ,plutarch4 ,,notes ,,on ,,britannia ,,rediviva4 ,note ,i4 ,hail1 son of prayers6 by holy violence ,drawn down from heaven6----,p4 #bij4 ,we have noticed1 in the introduction1 that the birth of a ,prince of ,wales1 at a time of such critical importance to the ,catholic faith1 was looked upon1 by the ,papists1 as little less than miraculous4 ,some talked of the petition of the ,duchess of ,modena to ,our ,lady of ,loretto2 and ,burnet affirms1 that1 in that famous chapel1 there is actually a register of the queen's conception1 in consequence of her mother's vow4 ,but1 in that case1 the good duchess's intercession must have been posthumous2 for she died upon the #aith ,july1 and the queen's time run from the #fth of ,october4 ,others ascribed the event to the king's pilgrimage to ,st ,winifred's ,well2 and others1 among whom was the ,earl of ,melfort1 suffered their zeal to hurry them into profaneness1 and spoke of the angel of the ,lord moving the ,bath waters1 like the ,pool of ,bethsaida4 ,but the ,jesuits claimed to their own prayers the principal merit of procuring this blessing1 which1 indeed1 they had ventured to prophecy2 for1 among other devices which that order exhibited to the ,english ambassador from ,james to the ,pope1 there was1 according to ,mr ,misson1 one of a lily1 from whose leaves distilled some drops of water1 which were once supposed1 by naturalists1 to become the seed of new lilies3 the motto was--,lachrimor in prolem--,i weep for children4 ,beneath which was the following distich3 ,pro natis1 ,jacobe1 gemis1 flos candide regum6 ,hos natura tibi si neget1 astra dabunt4 ,for sons1 fair flower of kings1 why melts thine eye8 ,the heavens shall grant what nature may deny4 ,note ,,ii4 ,for1 see the dragon winged on his way1 ,to watch the travail1 and devour the prey4--,p4 #bia4 ,and the dragon stood before the woman1 who was ready to be delivered1 for to devour her child1 as soon as it was born1--,revel4 xii4 #d4 ,dryden is at pains1 by an original marginal note1 which1 with others1 is restored in this edition1 to explain1 that1 by this allusion here1 and in other parts of the poem1 he meant the commonwealth's party4 ,the acquittal of the bishops1 on the #agth of ,june1 two days before the poem was licensed1 must have excited a prudential reverence for the church of ,england in the moment of her triumph4 ,the poet fixes upon this commonwealth party therefore1 exclusively1 the common reports which had been circulated during the queen's pregnancy1 and which are thus noticed in the 7supposititious7 letter to ,father ,la ,chaise3 ,as to the queen's being with child1 that great concern goes as well as we could wish1 notwithstanding all the satirical discourses of the heretics1 who content themselves to vent their poison in libels1 which1 by night1 they disperse in the street1 or fix upon the walls4 ,there was one lately found upon a pillar of a church1 that imported1 that such a day thanks should be given to ,god for the queen's being great with a cushion4 ,if one of these pasquil-makers could be discovered1 he would but have an ill time on't1 and should be made to take his last farewell at ,tyburn4 ,the usual topics of wit1 during the queen's pregnancy1 were1 allusions to a cushion1 a tympany1 c4 c42 and ,partridge1 the ,protestant almanack-maker1 utters the following predictions3--,that there was some bawdy project on foot1 either about buying1 selling1 or procuring1 a child or children1 for some pious uses4 ,and1 again1 ,some child is to be topped upon the lawful heirs1 to cheat them out of their right and estate4--,god preserve the kingdom of ,england from invasion6 for about this time ,i fear it in earnest1 and keep the ,protestants there from being dragooned4 ,one single circumstance is sufficient to rout all suspicions thus carefully infused into the people4 ,it is well known1 and is noticed in one of ,l',estrange's papers at the time1 that a similar outcry was raised during a former pregnancy of the queen2 but the child proving a female1 there was no use for pushing the calumny any further upon that occasion4 ,note ,,iii4 ,already has he lifted high the sign1 ,which crowned the conquering arms of ,constantine2 ,the moon grows pale at that presaging sight1 ,and half her train of stars have lost their light4--,p4 #bib4 ,the public exercise of the ,catholic religion in ,england is compared to the miraculous display of the cross1 with the motto1 ,in hoc signo vinces2 which is said to have appeared to ,constantine on the eve of his great victory4 ,the war against the ,turks1 which was now raging in ,hungary1 seems to have occupied much of ,james's attention4 ,he amused himself with anxiety about the fate of this holy warfare1 as he probably thought it1 while his own crown was tottering on his head4 ,in all his letters to the ,prince of ,orange1 he expresses his wishes for the peace of ,christendom1 that the emperor and the ,venetians might have leisure to prosecute the war against the ,turks2 and conjectures about the taking of ,belgrade1 and the progress of the ,duke of ,lorraine1 are very gravely sent1 as interesting matter to the prince1 who was anticipating the conquest of ,england1 and the dethronement of his father-in-law4 ,there may be something of affectation in this2 but1 as ,dryden takes up the same tone1 it may be supposed to have forwarded ,james's general conversation1 as well as his letters to the ,prince of ,orange4--,see ,,dalrymple',s ,memoirs4 ,appendix to ,book ,v4 ,note ,,iv4 ,behold another ,sylvester1 to bless ,the sacred standard1 and secure success2 ,large of his treasures1 of a soul so great1 ,as fills and crowds his universal seat4--,p4 #bib4 ,dryden talks of the ,pope with the respect of a good ,catholic4 ,nevertheless it happened1 by a very odd chance1 that1 while the throne of ,england was held by a ,catholic1 for the first time during the course of a century1 the chair of ,st ,peter was occupied by ,innocent ,,xi4 who acquired the uncommon epithet of the ,protestant ,pope4 ,he received1 with great coldness1 the ,earl of ,castlemain1 whom ,james sent to ,rome as his ambassador1 and refused the only two requests which a king of ,england had made to ,rome since the days of ,henry ,,viii41 although they were only a dispensation to ,petre the king's confessor1 to hold a bishopric1 and another to the ,mareschal ,d',humier's daughter to marry within the prohibited degrees4 ,nay1 the ,pope is said to have privately admitted the ,prince of ,orange's envoy to his confidence1 while he treated ,castlemaine with so much contempt4 ,the cause of this coldness was the ,pope's quarrel with ,james's ally1 ,louis1 and his dislike to the order of ,jesuits1 by whom the king of ,england was entirely ruled4 ,in truth1 ,innocent ,,xi4 was much more anxious to maintain the privileges of the ,roman see against those princes who retained her communion1 than to add ,england to a flock which was become so mutinous and untractable4 ,he was1 besides1 a man of no extended views1 and chiefly concerned himself with managing the papal revenue1 involved in debt by a succession of wasteful pontificates4 ,to this the conversion of ,england promised no immediate addition1 and1 with the narrowness of view natural to his pursuits1 ,innocent ,,xi4 thought it better to employ his exertions in realizing an immediate income1 than in endeavouring to extend the faith and authority of the church1 by embarking in a design of great doubt and hazard4 ,he was1 therefore1 but a very poor representative of ,pope ,sylvester4 ,as for the last two lines1 they contain1 what we seldom meet with in ,dryden's poetry1 a compliment not only bombastic1 but unappropriate1 and even unmeaning4 ,note ,v4 ,born in broad day-light1 that the ungrateful rout ,may find no room for a remaining doubt4--,p4 #bic4 ,in these lines1 and the following1 where the poet1 with indecent freedom1 compares the suspicions entertained of a spurious birth to the devil's doubts concerning our ,saviour's godhead1 he alludes to those circumstances of publicity1 which one would have supposed might have rendered the birth of the prince indisputable4 ,it took place at ten o'clock in the morning2 and eighteen privy counsellors1 besides a number of ladies1 were present at the delivery4 ,but the party violence of the period was so extravagant1 as to receive and circulate a variety of reports1 inconsistent with each other1 and agreeing only in the general conclusion1 that the child was an imposition upon the nation4 ,the reasoning of the ,bishop of ,salisbury1 on this point1 is admirably summed up by ,smollet4 ,on the #ajth of ,june1 #afhh1 the queen was suddenly seized with labour-pains1 and delivered of a son1 who was baptized by the name of ,james1 and declared ,prince of ,wales4 ,all the ,catholics and friends of ,james were transported with the most extravagant joy at the birth of this child2 while great part of the nation consoled themselves with the notion1 that it was altogether supposititious4 ,they carefully collected a variety of circumstances1 upon which this conjecture was founded2 and though they were inconsistent1 contradictory1 and inconclusive1 the inference was so agreeable to the views and passions of the people1 that it made an impression which1 in all probability1 will never be totally effaced4 ,dr ,burnet1 who seems to have been at uncommon pains to establish this belief1 and to have consulted all the ,whig nurses in ,england upon the subject1 first pretends to demonstrate1 that the queen was not with child2 secondly1 that she was with child1 but miscarried2 thirdly1 that a child was brought into the queen's apartment in a warming-pan2 fourthly1 that there was no child at all in the room2 fifthly1 that the queen actually bore a child1 but it died that same day2 sixthly1 that it had the fits1 of which it died at ,richmond2 therefore1 the ,chevalier de ,st ,george must be the fruit of four different impostures4 ,note ,,vi4 ,five months to discord and debate were given4--,p4 #bie4 ,during the five months preceding the birth of the ,chevalier de ,st ,george1 ,james was wholly engaged by those feuds and dissensions which tended to render irreparable the breach between him and his subjects4 ,the arbitrary attacks upon the privileges of ,magdalen ,college1 and of the ,charter-,house1 fell nearly within this period4 ,above all1 the petition of the seven bishops against reading the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 their imprisonment1 their memorable trial and acquittal1 had all taken place since the month of ,april2 and it is well known to what a state of violent opposition the nation had been urged by a train of arbitrary acts of violence1 so imprudently commenced1 and perversely insisted in4 ,dryden1 like other men of sense1 probably began to foresee the consequences of so violent and general irritation2 and expresses himself in moderate and soothing language1 both as to the past and future4 ,nothing is therefore dropt which can offend the church of ,england4 ,perhaps they may have been spared by the royal command2 for it seems1 as is hinted by a letter from ,halifax to the ,prince of ,orange1 that1 not finding his expectations answered by the dissenters1 whom he had so greatly favoured of late1 ,james entertained thoughts of returning to his old friends1 the ,high-churchmen2 but the truth is1 his lordship adds1 the ,papists have of late been so hard and fierce upon them1 that the very species of those formerly mistaking men is destroyed2 they have so broken that loom in pieces1 that they cannot now set it up again to work upon it4--,,dalrymple',s ,memoirs4 ,appendix to ,book ,v4 ,note ,,vii4 ----,when the sudden blast1 ,the face of heaven1 and our young sun1 o'ercast1 ,fame1 the swift ill increasing as she rolled1 ,disease1 despair1 and death1 at three reprises told4--,p4 #big4 ,there was1 ,dryden informs us1 a report of the prince's death1 to which he alludes4 ,james1 in a letter to the ,prince of ,orange1 dated ,june #ab1 mentions the birth of his son on the ,sunday preceding1 and adds1 the child was somewhat ill this last night1 of the wind1 and some gripes1 but is now1 blessed be ,god1 very well1 and like to have no returns of it1 and is a strong boy4 ,about this illness1 ,burnet tells the following gossipping story3 ,that night1 one ,hemings1 a very worthy man1 an apothecary by his trade1 who lived in ,st ,martin's ,lane1 the very next door to a family of an eminent ,papist1 7,brown1 brother to the ,viscount ,montacute1 lived there27 the wall between his parlour and their's being so thin1 that he could easily hear any thing that was said with a louder voice1 he 7,hemings7 was reading in his parlour late at night1 when he heard one come into the neighbouring parlour1 and say1 with a doleful voice1 the ,prince of ,wales is dead3 ,upon which a great many that lived in the house came down stairs very quick4 ,upon this confusion he could not hear any thing more2 but it was plain they were in a great consternation4 ,he went with the news next morning to the bishops in the ,tower4 ,the ,countess of ,clarendon came thither soon after1 and told them1 she had been at the young prince's door1 but was denied access3 she was amazed at it2 and asked1 if they knew her3 they said1 they did2 but that the queen had ordered1 that no person whatsoever should be suffered to come in to him4 ,this gave credit to ,hemings' story2 and looked as if all was ordered to be kept shut up close1 till another child was found4 ,one1 that saw the child two days after1 said to me1 that he looked strong1 and not like a child so newly born4 ,the poem of ,dryden plainly proves1 that such a report was so far from being confined among the ,catholics1 that it was spread over all the town2 and what the worthy ,mr ,hemings over-heard in his next neighbour's1 the ,papist's1 might probably have been heard in any company in ,london that evening1 although the mode of communication would doubtless have been doleful or joyous1 according to the party and religion of the news-bearer4 ,,prologues ,,and ,,epilogues4 ,,prologues ,,and ,,epilogues4 ,the prologue of the ,english drama was originally1 like that of the ancients1 merely a kind of argument of the play1 instructing the audience concerning those particulars of the plot1 which were necessary in order to understand the opening of the piece4 ,that this might be done more artificially1 it was often spoken in the character of some person connected with the preceding history of the intrigue1 though not properly one of the dramatis person4 ,but when increasing refinement introduced the present mode of opening the action in the course of the play itself1 the prologue became a preliminary address to the audience1 bespeaking their attention and favour for the piece4 ,the epilogue had always borne this last character1 being merely an extension of the ancient valete et plaudite2 an opportunity seized by the performers1 after resigning their mimic characters1 to pay their respects to the public in their own1 and to solicit its approbation of their exertions4 ,by degrees it assumed a more important shape1 and was indulged in descanting upon such popular topics as were likely to interest the audience1 even though less immediately connected with the actor's address of thanks1 or the piece they had been performing4 ,both the prologue and epilogue had assumed their present character so early as the days of ,shakespeare and ,jonson4 ,with the revival of dramatic entertainments1 after the ,restoration1 these addresses were revived also2 and a degree of consequence seems to have been attached to them in that witty age1 which they did not possess before1 and which has not since been given to them4 ,they were not only used to propitiate the audience2 to apologize for the players1 or poet2 or to satirize the follies of the day1 which is now their chief purpose2 but they became1 during the collision of contending factions1 vehicles of political tenets and political sarcasm1 which could1 at no time1 be insinuated with more success1 than when clothed in nervous verse1 and delivered with all the advantages of elocution to an audience1 whose numbers rendered the impression of poetry and eloquence more contagious4 ,it is not surprising that ,dryden soon obtained a complete and absolute superiority in this style of composition over all who pretended to compete with him4 ,while the harmony of his verse gave that advantage to the speaker1 which was wanting in the harsh1 coarse1 broken measure of his contemporaries1 his powers of reasoning and of satire left them as far behind in sense as in sound4 ,this superiority1 and the great influence which he had in the management of the theatre1 made it usual to invoke his assistance in the case of new plays2 many of which he accordingly furnished either with prologues or epilogues4 ,the players also had recourse to him upon any remarkable occasion2 as1 when a new house was opened2 when the theatre was honoured by a visit from the king or duke2 when they played at ,oxford1 during the public acts2 or1 in short1 in all cases when an occasional prologue was thought necessary to grace their performance4 ,the collection of these pieces1 which follows1 is far from being the least valuable part of our author's labours4 ,the variety and richness of fancy which they indicate1 is one of ,dryden's most remarkable poetical attributes4 ,whether the theme be1 the youth and inexperience or the age and past services1 of the author2 the plainness or magnificence of a new theatre2 the superiority of ancient authors1 or the exaltation of the moderns2 the censure of political faction1 or of fashionable follies2 the praise of the monarch1 or the ridicule of the administration2 the poet never fails to treat it with the liveliness appropriate to verses intended to be spoken1 and spoken before a numerous assembly4 ,the manner which ,dryden assumes1 varies also with the nature of his audience4 ,the prologues and epilogues1 intended for the ,london stage1 are written in a tone of superiority1 as if the poet1 conscious of the justice of his own laws of criticism1 rather imposed them upon the public as absolute and undeniable1 than as standing in need of their ratification4 ,and if he sometimes condescends to solicit1 in a more humble style1 the approbation of the audience1 and to state circumstances of apology1 and pleas of favour1 it is only in the case of other poets2 for1 in the prologues of his own plays1 he always rather demands than begs their applause2 and if he acknowledges any defects in the piece1 he takes care to intimate1 that they are introduced in compliance with the evil taste of the age2 and that the audience must take the blame to themselves1 instead of throwing it upon the writer4 ,this bold1 style of address1 although it occasionally drew upon our author the charge of presumption1 was1 nevertheless1 so well supported by his perception of what was just in criticism1 and his powers of defending even what was actually wrong1 that a miscellaneous audience was1 in general1 fain to submit to a domination1 as successfully supported as boldly claimed4 ,in the ,oxford prologues1 on the other hand1 the audience furnished by that seat of the ,muses1 as of more competent judgment1 are addressed with more respectful deference by the poet4#ccj ,he seems1 in these1 to lay down his rules of criticism1 as it were under correction of superior judges2 and intermingles them with such compliments to the taste and learning of the members of the university1 as he disdains to bestow upon the motley audience of the metropolis4 ,in one style1 the author seems dictating to scholars1 whose conceit and presumption must be lowered by censure1 to make them sensible of their own deficiencies1 and induce them to receive the offered instruction2 in the other1 he seems to deliver his opinions before men1 whom he acknowledges as his equals1 if not his superiors1 in the arts of which he is treating4 ,and although ,brown has very grossly charged ,dryden with having affected1 for the university1 an esteem and respect1 which he was far from really feeling2 and with having exposed its members1 in their turn1 to the ridicule of the ,london audience1 whom he had stigmatized in his ,oxford prologues as void of taste and judgment2 it is but fair to state1 that nothing can be produced in proof of such an accusation4#cca ,in another respect1 the reader may remark a pleasing difference between the ,london prologues and epilogues1 and those spoken at ,oxford4 ,the licence of the times permitted1 and even exacted from an author1 in these compositions1 the indulgence of an indelicate vein of humour2 which1 however humiliating1 is1 in general1 successful in a vulgar or mixed audience1 as turning upon subjects adapted to the meanest capacity4 ,this continued even down to our times2 for1 till very lately1 it was expected by the mobbish part of the audience1 that they should be indemnified for the patience with which they had listened to the moral lessons of a tragedy1 by the indecency of the epilogue4 ,in ,dryden's time1 this coarse raillery was carried to great excess2 but our author1 however culpable in other compositions1 is1 generally speaking1 more correct than his contemporaries in his prologues and epilogues4 ,in the ,oxford pieces1 particularly1 where the decorum of manners1 suited to that mother of learning1 required him to abstain from all licentious allusion1 ,dryden has given some excellent specimens of how little he needed to rely upon this obvious and vulgar aid1 for the amusement of his audience4 ,upon the whole1 it will be difficult to find pieces of this occasional nature so interesting and unexceptionable as those spoken at ,oxford4 ,they are1 as they ought to be1 by far the most laboured and correct which our author gave to the stage4 ,it may not be improper to add1 that the players were only permitted to visit ,oxford during the ,public ,acts1 which were frequently celebrated on occasions of public rejoicing4 ,they acted1 it would appear1 in a ,tennis-court1 fitted up as an occasional theatre2 and the prologues and epilogues of ,dryden tended doubtless greatly to conciliate the favour of an audience1 consisting of all that was learned in the generation then mature1 and all that was hopeful in that which was rising to succeed it4 ,the more miscellaneous prologues and epilogues of ,dryden are not without interest4 ,in ridiculing the vices or follies of the age1 they often touch upon circumstances illustrative of manners2 and certainly1 though the modern theatres of the metropolis are so ill regulated1 as nearly to exclude modest females from all the house1 except the private boxes1 their decorum is superior to that of their predecessors4 ,if we conceive the boxes filled with women1 whose masks levelled all distinction between the woman of fashion and the courtezan2 the galleries crowded with a rabble1 more ferocious and ignorant than its present inmates2 the pit occupied by drunken bullies1 whose quarrels perpetually interrupted the performers1 and often ended in bloodshed1 and even murder1 upon the spot2 we shall have occasion to congratulate ourselves upon being at least in the way of reformation4 ,these enormities of his time1 ,dryden has pointed out1 and censured in his strong and nervous satire4 ,it is to be regretted1 that his painting is often coarse1 and sometimes intentionally licentious2 although1 as has been already observed1 more seldom so than that of most of his contemporaries4 ,the historical antiquary may also glean some observations on the state of parties1 from those pieces which turn upon the politics of the day2 and there occur numerous hints1 which may be useful to an historian of the drama4 ,thus the ,prologues and ,epilogues form no improper supplement to ,dryden's historical poetry4 ,it remains to say1 that all these prologues and epilogues were1 according to the custom of that time1 printed on single leaves1 or broadsides1 as they are called1 and sold by the hawkers at the door of the theatres4 ,some of these1 but very few1 have been preserved by ,mr ,luttrell1 in the collection belonging to ,mr ,bindley4 ,if a set of them existed1 ,i think it probable they would be found to contain many variations from those editions1 which the more mature reflection of the author gave to the world in the ,miscellanies4 ,but the loss is the less to be lamented1 as1 in general1 the original editions which ,i have seen are not only more inaccurate1 but coarser and more licentious1 than those which ,dryden finally adopted4 ,in the original prologue of ,circe1 which is printed in this edition1 for example1 the reader will find1 that1 in place of the well-known apology for an author's first production1 by an appeal to those of ,shakespeare1 ,fletcher1 and ,jonson1 his youth is only made the subject of some commonplace raillery4 ,indeed1 so little value did ,dryden himself set upon these occasional effusions before they were collected1 and so little did he consider them as entitled to live in the recollection of the public1 that1 on one occasion at least1 but probably upon several1 he actually transferred the same prologue from one new play to another4 ,thus he reclaimed1 from his adversary ,shadwell's play of ,the ,true ,widow1 the prologue which he had furnished1 and affixed it to the ,widow ,ranter of ,mrs ,behn4 ,sometimes also he laid under contribution former publications of his own1 which he supposed to be forgotten1 in order to furnish out one of these theatrical prefaces4 ,thus the satire against the ,dutch furnishes the principal part of the prologue and epilogue to ,amboyna4 ,inaccurate as they seem to have been1 the original editions might have proved useful in arranging the prologues and epilogues according to their exact dates1 which1 where they are not attached to any particular play1 can now only be assigned from internal evidence4 ,but absolute accuracy in this point1 though no doubt desirable if it can be obtained1 does not appear to be a point of any serious moment2 and1 after having bestowed considerable pains1 the ,editor will neither be much ashamed1 nor inconsolably sorry1 to find1 that some of the prologues and epilogues have been misplaced in the order which he has adopted4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ccj3 ,our author's several modes of coaxing or bullying the audience in the prologues1 are ridiculed in the ,rehearsal2 where ,bayes says1 ,you must know there is in nature but two ways of making very good prologues2--the one is1 by civility1 by insinuation1 good language1 and all that to ---- a ---- in a manner steal your plaudit from the courtesy of the auditors3 the other1 by making use of some certain personal things1 which may keep a hank upon such censuring persons as cannot otherwise1 egad1 in nature1 be hindered from being too free with their tongues4 ,footnote #cca3 ,the following is the statement of the accusation in ,tom's peculiar style1 being a sort of cant jargon1 not void of low humour3 ,bayes4 ,now1 there being but three remarkable places in the whole island2 that is1 the two universities1 and the great metropolitan city2 ,i shall1 consequently1 confine my discourse only to them3 ,but1 first of all1 ,i must tell you1 that ,i am altogether of my ,lord ,plausible's opinion in the ,plain ,dealer2 if ,i chance to commend any place1 or order of men1 out of pure friendship1 ,i choose to do it before their faces2 and if ,i have occasion to speak ill of any person or place1 out of a principle of respect and good manners1 ,i do it behind their backs4 ,you cannot imagine1 ,mr ,crites1 when ,i visit either of the two universities1 in my own person1 or by my commissioners of the playhouse1 how much ,i am taken with a college life3 ,oh1 there's nothing like a cheese cut out into farthings6 and my ,lord ,mayor1 amidst all his brutal city luxury1 does not dine half so well as a student upon a single chop of rotten roasted mutton2 nay1 ,i can scarce prevail with myself1 for a month or two after1 to eat my meat on a plate1 so great a respect have ,i for a university trencher2 and then their conversation is so learned1 and withal so innocent1 that ,i could sit a whole day together at a coffee-house to hear them dispute about actus perspicui1 and forma misti4 ,from this beginning ,i naturally fall a railing at ,london1 with as much zeal as a ,buckingham-shire grazier1 who had his pocket picked at a ,smithfield entertainment2 or a country lady1 whose obsequious knight has spent his estate among misses1 vintners1 and linen-drapers2 and then ,i tell my audience1 that a man may walk farther in the city to meet a true judge of poetry1 than ride his horse on ,salisbury ,plain to find a house4 ,london likes grossly1 but this nicer pit ,examines1 fathoms1 all the depths of wit4 ,you see here1 ,mr ,crites1 that scholars won't take ,alderman ,duncomb's leaden halfpence for ,irish half crowns1 while dull ,londoner swallows every thing2 and takes it with as little consideration1 as a true ,romanist takes a spiritual dose of relicts1 that are sealed up with the council of ,trent's coat-of-arms4 ,eugen4 ,how was that1 ,mr ,bayes1 about the council of ,trent8 ,pray1 let us hear it again4 ,bayes4 ,gad forgive me for't6--it dropt from me ere ,i was aware2 but ,i shall in time wear off this hitching in my gait1 and walk in ,catholic trammels as well as the best of them2 nature1 ,i must confess1 is not overcome on the sudden--,but let me see1 gentlemen1 whether ,i have any more lines to our last purpose2 oh1 here they are6 ,poetry1 which is in ,oxford made ,an art1 in ,london only is a trade4 ,our poet1 could he find forgiveness here1 ,would wish it rather than a plaudit there4 ,you are sensible1 without question1 how little beholden the city is to me1 when ,i am upon my progress elsewhere4 ,but 'tis a comfort that this peremptory humour does not continue long upon me2 for1 as ,i have the grace to disown my mother-university1 with a jug in one hand1 and a link in the other1 when ,i am at ,oxford1-- ,thebes did his green unknowing years engage2 ,he chuses ,athens in his riper age4 ,so1 when ,i am got amongst my honest acquaintance here in ,covent-,garden1 ,i disown both the sisters1 and make myself as merry as a grig1 with their greasy trenchers1 rusty salt-sellers1 and no napkins1 with their everlasting drinking1 and no intervals of fornication to relieve it4 ,in fine1 ,i make a great scruple of it1 whether it be possible for a man to write sound heroics1 and make an accomplished thorough-paced wit1 unless he comes to refine and cultivate himself at ,london2 unless be knows how many stories high the houses are in ,cheapside and ,fleet-street2 is acquainted with all the gaming ordinaries about town1 and the rates of porters and hackney-coachmen2 has shot the bridge2 seen the tombs at ,westminster2 heard the ,wooden-head speak2 can tell you where the insuring-office is kept2 and which of the twelve companies has the honour of precedence4 ,the ,reasons for ,mr ,bayes changing his ,religion1 p4 #aj4 ,,prologue ,,spoken ,,the ,,first ,,day ,,of ,,the ,,king',s ,,house ,,acting ,,after ,,the ,,fire4 ,in ,january1 #afga-b1 the play-house in ,drury-,lane1 occupied by the ,king's company1 took fire1 and was entirely destroyed1 with fifty or sixty adjoining houses1 which were either involved in the conflagration1 or blown up to stop its progress4 ,during the rebuilding of this theatre1 the ,king's servants acted in the old house in ,lincoln's-,inn-,fields4 ,the following ,prologue announces the distressed situation of the company on their retreat to this temporary asylum4 ,the sixth couplet alludes to the recent desertion of the ,lincoln's-,inn theatre1 by the rival company1 called the ,duke's1 who were now acting at one in ,dorset ,gardens1 splendidly fitted up under the direction of ,sir ,william ,d',avenant4 ,so shipwrecked passengers escaped to land1 ,so look they1 when on the bare beach they stand1 ,dropping and cold1 and their first fear scarce o'er1 ,expecting famine on a desart shore4 ,from that hard climate we must wait for bread1 ,whence even the natives1 forced by hunger1 fled4 ,our stage does human chance present to view1 ,but ne'er before was seen so sadly true3 ,you are changed too1 and your pretence to see ,is but a nobler name for charity4 ,your own provisions furnish out our feasts1 ,while you1 the founders1 make yourselves the guests4 ,of all mankind beside1 fate had some care1 ,but for poor ,wit no portion did prepare1 ',tis left a rent-charge to the brave and fair4 ,you cherished it1 and now its fall you mourn1 ,which blind unmannered zealots make their scorn1 ,who think that fire a judgment on the stage1 ,which spared not temples#ccb in its furious rage4 ,but as our new-built city rises higher1 ,so from old theatres may new aspire1 ,since fate contrives magnificence by fire4 ,our great metropolis does far surpass ,whate'er is now1 and equals all that was3 ,our wit as far does foreign wit excel1 ,and1 like a king1 should in a palace dwell4 ,but we with golden hopes are vainly fed1 ,talk high1 and entertain you in a shed3 ,your presence here1 for which we humbly sue1 ,will grace old theatres1 and build up new4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ccb3 ,st ,paul's1 and other churches1 were consumed in the great fire1 then a recent event4 ,,prologue ,,for ,,the ,,women1 ,,when ,,they ,,acted ,,at ,,the ,,old ,,theatre1 ,,lincoln',s-,,inn-,,fields4 ,female performers were first introduced after the ,restoration4 ,they became speedily acceptable to the court and the public4 ,the dramatic poets were in so many ways indebted to them1 that occasional exertions1 dedicated to their benefit1 as ,i presume the following to have been1 were but a suitable return for various favours received4 ,our author's intimacy with the beautiful ,mrs ,reeves particularly called forth his talents in behalf of these damsels1 distressed as they must have been by the unlucky burning of the theatre in ,drury-,lane4 ,the ,prologue occurs in the ,miscellanies2 but is1 ,i know not why1 omitted by ,derrick in his edition of ,dryden's poems4 ,were none of you1 gallants1 e'er driven so hard1 ,as when the poor kind soul was under guard1 ,and could not do't at home1 in some by-street ,to take a lodging1 and in private meet8 ,such is our case2 we can't appoint our house1 ,the lovers' old and wonted rendezvous1 ,but hither to this trusty nook remove2 ,the worse the lodging is1 the more the love4 ,for much good pastime1 many a dear sweet hug1 ,is stolen in garrets1 on the humble rug4 ,here's good accommodation in the pit2 ,the grave demurely in the midst may sit1 ,and so the hot ,burgundian#ccc on the side1 ,ply vizard mask1 and o'er the benches stride3 ,here are convenient upper boxes too1 ,for those that make the most triumphant show2 ,all that keep coaches1 must not sit below4 ,there1 gallants1 you betwixt the acts retire1 ,and1 at dull plays1 have something to admire3 ,we1 who look up1 can your addresses mark1 ,and see the creatures coupled in the ark3 ,so we expect the lovers1 braves1 and wits2 ,the gaudy house with scenes#ccd will serve for cits4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ccc3 ,that is1 the consumer of ,burgundy1 or drunken bully of the day4 ,footnote #ccd3 ,dorset-,garden theatre1 where the ,duke's company acted various shewy pieces1 directed by ,d',avenant4 ,,prologue ,,spoken ,,at ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,house1 ,,march #bf1 #afgd4 ,the ,drury-,lane theatre1 after being burned in #afga-b1 was rebuilt upon a plan furnished by ,sir ,christopher ,wren1 who superintended the execution4 ,it is said to have been most admirably planned1 but spoiled by some injudicious alterations in the course of building4 ,the following ,prologue informs us1 that the exterior decorations were plain and simple in comparison to those of the rival house in ,dorset ,gardens1 which1 as repeatedly noticed1 had been splendidly fitted up under the direction of ,d',avenant1 noted for his attachment to stage pomp and shew4 ,it appears that ,charles ,,ii41 who was possessed of considerable taste1 and did not disdain to interest himself in the affairs of the drama1 had himself recommended to the ,king's company1 the simplicity and frugality of scenery and ornament to which the poet alludes4 ,the other house were not unapt to boast of the superior splendour which is here conceded to them4 ,in the epilogue to ,psyche the actors boast1 ----,gallants1 you can tell1 ,no foreign stage can ours in pomp excel2 ,and here none e'er shall treat you half so well4 ,poor players have this day such splendour shown1 ,which yet but by great monarchs has been done4 ,d',avenant1 by whom the ,duke's company were long directed1 was the first who introduced regular scenery upon a public stage4 ,his drama of the ,siege of ,rhodes seems to have been the first exhibited with these decorations4--,see ,,malone',s ,account of the ,english ,stage4 ,a plain-built house1 after so long a stay1 ,will send you half unsatisfied away2 ,when1 fallen from your expected pomp1 you find ,a bare convenience only is designed4 ,you1 who each day can theatres behold1 ,like ,nero's palace1 shining all with gold1 ,our mean ungilded stage will scorn1 we fear1 ,and1 for the homely room1 disdain the chear4 ,yet now cheap druggets to a mode are grown1 ,and a plain suit1 since we can make but one1 ,is better than to be by tarnished gawdry known4 ,they1 who are by your favours wealthy made1 ,with mighty sums may carry on the trade2 ,we1 broken bankers1 half destroyed by fire1 ,with our small stock to humble roofs retire2 ,pity our loss1 while you their pomp admire4 ,for fame and honour we no longer strive2 ,we yield in both1 and only beg--to live2 ,unable to support their vast expence1 ,who build and treat with such magnificence1 ,that1 like the ambitious monarchs of the age1 ,they give the law to our provincial stage4 ,great neighbours enviously promote excess1 ,while they impose their splendour on the less2 ,but only fools1 and they of vast estate1 ,the extremity of modes will imitate1 ,the dangling knee-fringe1 and the bib-cravat1 ,yet if some pride with want may be allowed1 ,we in our plainness may be justly proud2 ,our ,royal ,master willed it should be so2 ,whate'er he's pleased to own1 can need no show3 ,that sacred name gives ornament and grace1 ,and1 like his stamp1 makes basest metal pass4 ',twere folly now a stately pile to raise1 ,to build a playhouse while you throw down plays2 ,while scenes1 machines1 and empty operas reign1 ,and for the pencil you the pen disdain2 ,while troops of famished ,frenchmen hither drive1 ,and laugh at those upon whose alms they live3 ,old ,english authors vanish1 and give place ,to these new conquerors of the ,norman race4 ,more tamely than your fathers you submit2 ,you're now grown vassals to them in your wit4 ,mark1 when they play1 how our fine fops advance ,the mighty merits of their men of ,france1 ,keep time1 cry1 ,bon6 and humour the cadence4 ,well1 please yourselves2 but sure 'tis understood1 ,that ,french machines have ne'er done ,england good4#cce ,i would not prophecy our house's fate2 ,but while vain shows and scenes you over-rate1 ',tis to be feared---- ,that1 as a fire the former house o'erthrew1 ,machines and tempests#ccf will destroy the new4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cce3 ,st ,andr1 the famous ballet dancer1 composed dances for many operas about this time1 which were probably performed by his light-footed countrymen1 at ,dorset-,gardens4 ,footnote #ccf3 ,in #afgc1 the ',tempest1 or the ,enchanted ,island1' made into an opera by ,mr ,shadwell1 having all new in it1 as scenes1 machines1 c43 one scene painted with myriads of rial spirits2 and others flying away with a table furnished with fruits1 sweetmeats1 and all sorts of viands1 just when ,duke ,trinculo and his company were going to dinner4 ,all things were performed so admirably well1 that not any succeeding opera could get any money4--,roscius ,anglicanus1 p4 #cd4 ,shadwell had also1 about this time1 produced his opera of ,psyche1 which1 with the ,tempest and other pieces depending chiefly upon shew and scenery1 were acting in ,dorset-,garden1 when this ,prologue was written4 ,in order to ridicule these splendid exhibitions1 the company at ,drury-,lane brought forward parodies on them1 such as the ,mock ,tempest1 ,psyche ,debauched1 c4 ,these pieces1 though written in the meanest style by one ,duffet1 a low buffoon1 had a transient course of success4 ,,epilogue ,,on ,,the ,,same ,,occasion4 ,though what our ,prologue said was sadly true1 ,yet1 gentlemen1 our homely house is new1 ,a charm that seldom fails with wicked you4 ,a country lip may have the velvet touch2 ,though she's no lady1 you may think her such3 ,a strong imagination may do much4 ,but you1 loud sirs1 who through your curls look big1 ,critics in plume and white vallancy wig1 ,who1 lolling1 on our foremost benches sit1 ,and still charge first1 the true forlorn of wit2 ,whose favours1 like the sun1 warm where you roll1 ,yet you1 like him1 have neither heat nor soul2 ,so may your hats your foretops never press1 ,untouched your ribbons1 sacred be your dress2 ,so may you slowly to old age advance1 ,and have the excuse of youth for ignorance2 ,so may fop-corner full of noise remain1 ,and drive far off the dull1 attentive train2 ,so may your midnight scourings happy prove1 ,and morning batteries force your way to love2 ,so may not ,france your warlike hands recal1 ,but leave you by each others swords to fall1#ccg ,as you come here to ruffle vizard punk1 ,when sober rail1 and roar when you are drunk4 ,but to the wits we can some merit plead1 ,and urge what by themselves has oft been said3 ,our house relieves the ladies from the frights ,of ill-paved streets1 and long dark winter nights2 ,the ,flanders horses from a cold bleak road1 ,where bears in furs dare scarcely look abroad2#cch ,the audience from worn plays and fustian stuff1 ,of rhime1 more nauseous than three boys in buff4#cci ,though in their house the poets' heads#cdj appear1 ,we hope we may presume their wits are here4 ,the best which they reserved they now will play1 ,for1 like kind cuckolds1 though we've not the way ,to please1 we'll find you abler men who may4 ,if they should fail1 for last recruits we breed ,a troop of frisking monsieurs to succeed3 ,you know the ,french sure cards at time of need4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ccg3 ,this seems to be an allusion to the recent death of ,mr ,scroop2 a man of fortune1 who1 about this time1 was stabbed in the theatre at ,dorset-,gardens by ,sir ,thomas ,armstrong1 afterwards the confidential friend of the ,duke of ,monmouth4 ,langbaine says1 he witnessed this real tragedy1 which happened during the representation of ,macbeth1 as altered and revised by ,d',avenant in #afgd4 ,mr ,scroop died immediately after his removal into a neighbouring house4 ,footnote #cch3 ,alluding to the recent establishment in ,lincoln's-,inn-,fields1 then separated from the city by a large vacant space4 ,footnote #cci3 ,the three boys in buff1 were1 ,i believe1 the three ,bold ,beauchamps in an old ranting play3 ,the three bold ,beauchamps shall revive again1 ,and1 with the ,london ,prentice1 conquer ,spain4 ,footnote #cdj3 ,some part of the ornaments of ,d',avenant's scenes probably presented the portraits of dramatic writers4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford1 #afgd4 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mr ,,hart4 ,hart1 who had been a captain in the civil wars1 belonged to the ,king's company4 ,he was an excellent actor1 and particularly celebrated in the character of ,othello4 ,he left the stage1 according to ,cibber1 on the union of the companies in #afhf4 ,but it appears from a paper published in a note on the article ,betterton in the ,biographia1 that he retired in #afha1 upon receiving a pension from ,dr ,d',avenant1 then manager of the ,duke's company1 who in this manner bought off both ,hart and ,kynaston1 and greatly weakened the opposite set4 ,poets1 your subjects1 have their parts assigned1 ,to unbend1 and to divert their sovereign's mind2 ,when tired with following nature1 you think fit ,to seek repose in the cool shades of wit1 ,and1 from the sweet retreat1 with joy survey ,what rests1 and what is conquered1 of the way4 ,here1 free yourselves from envy1 care1 and strife1 ,you view the various turns of human life2 ,safe in our scene1 through dangerous courts you go1 ,and1 undebauched1 the vice of cities know4 ,your theories are here to practice brought1 ,as in mechanic operations wrought2 ,and man1 the little world1 before you set1 ,as once the sphere of crystal#cda shewed the great4 ,blest sure are you above all mortal kind1 ,if to your fortunes you can suit your mind2 ,content to see1 and shun1 those ills we show1 ,and crimes on theatres alone to know4 ,with joy we bring what our dead authors writ1 ,and beg from you the value of their wit3 ,that ,shakespeare's1 ,fletcher's1 and great ,jonson's claim1 ,may be renewed from those who gave them fame4 ,none of our living poets dare appear2 ,for muses so severe are worshipped here1 ,that1 conscious of their faults1 they shun the eye1 ,and1 as profane1 from sacred places fly1 ,rather than see the offended ,god1 and die4 ,we bring no imperfections1 but our own2 ,such faults as made are by the makers shown2 ,and you have been so kind1 that we may boast1 ,the greatest judges still can pardon most4 ,poets must stoop1 when they would please our pit1 ,debased even to the level of their wit2 ,disdaining that1 which yet they know will take1 ,hating themselves what their applause must make4 ,but when to praise from you they would aspire1 ,though they1 like eagles1 mount1 your ,jove is higher4 ,so far your knowledge all their power transcends1 ,as what should be1 beyond what is1 extends4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cda3 ,its properties are thus described by ,spenser3 ,it vertue had to show in perfect sight ,whatever thing was in the world contained1 ,betwixt the lowest earth and heaven's height1 ,so that it to the looker appertained4 ,whatever foe had wrought1 or friend designed1 ,therein discovered was ne ought mote pass1 ,ne ought in secret from the same remained1 ,forthy it round1 and hollow-shaped was1 ,like to the world itself1 and seemed a world of glass4 ,such was the glassy globe that ,merlin made1 ,and gave unto ,king ,ryence for his guard4 ,fairy ,queen1 ,book iii4 ,canto #b4 ,,epilogue ,,spoken ,,at ,,oxford1 ,,by ,,mrs ,,marshall4 ,the date of this ,epilogue is fixed by that of ,bathurst's vice-chancellorship1 which lasted from #c;d ,october1 #afgc1 to #ith ,october #afge4 ,oft has our poet wished1 this happy seat ,might prove his fading muse's last retreat3 ,i wondered at his wish1 but now ,i find ,he sought for quiet1 and content of mind2 ,which noiseful towns1 and courts1 can never know1 ,and only in the shades1 like laurels1 grow4 ,youth1 ere it sees the world1 here studies rest1 ,and age1 returning thence1 concludes it best4 ,what wonder if we court that happiness ,yearly to share1 which hourly you possess1 ,teaching e'en you1 while the vext world we show1 ,your peace to value more1 and better know8 ',tis all we can return for favours past1 ,whose holy memory shall ever last1 ,for patronage from him whose care presides ,o'er every noble art1 and every science guides2#cdb ,bathurst1 a name the learned with reverence know1 ,and scarcely more to his own ,virgil owe2 ,whose age enjoys but what his youth deserved1 ,to rule those muses whom before he served4 ,his learning1 and untainted manners too1 ,we find1 ,athenians1 are derived to you2 ,such antient hospitality there rests ,in yours1 as dwelt in the first ,grecian breasts1 ,whose kindness was religion to their guests4 ,such modesty did to our sex appear1 ,as1 had there been no laws1 we need not fear1 ,since each of you was our protector here4 ,converse so chaste1 and so strict virtue shown1 ,as might ,apollo with the muses own4 ,till our return1 we must despair to find ,judges so just1 so knowing1 and so kind4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cdb3 ,ralph ,bathurst1 thus highly distinguished by our author1 was a distinguished character of the age4 ,he was uncle to ,allen1 the first ,lord ,bathurst4 ,he was born in #afbj1 and bred to the church1 but abandoned divinity for the pursuit of medicine1 which he practised until the ,restoration1 when he resumed his clerical character4 ,in #affc he became head of ,trinity college1 ,oxford1 into the court and chapel of which he introduced the beauties of classical architecture1 to rival1 if it were possible1 the magnificence of the ,gothic edifices by which it is surrounded4 ,in #afgc1 he had the honour to be appointed vice-chancellor2 an office which he retained for two years4 ,during his execution of this duty he is said to have reformed many abuses which had crept into the university2 and by liberal benefactions added considerably to the prosperity of literature4 ,anthony ,wood1 who had some private reason for disliking him1 and who1 moreover1 was as determined an enemy to the fair sex as ever harboured in a cloister1 picked a quarrel with ,bathurst's wife1 as he could find no reasonable fault with the vice-chancellor himself4 ,dr ,bathurst took his place of vice-chancellor2 a man of good parts1 and able to do good things2 but he has a wife that scorns that he should be in print2 a scornful woman6 scorns that he was dean of ,wells3 no need of marrying such a woman1 who is so conceited1 that she thinks herself fit to govern a college1 or university4--,perhaps the countenance given by ,bathurst to the theatre1 for which ,dryden here expresses his gratitude1 might not tend to conciliate the good will of ,anthony1 who quarrelled with his sister-in-law by refusing to treat her to the play4 ,but it agreed well with the character of ,bathurst1 who was not only a patron of literature in all its branches1 but himself an excellent ,latin poet1 as his verses prefixed to ,hobbes' ,leviathan1 fully testify2 and as good an ,english poet as most of his contemporaries4 ,he died in his eighty-fourth year1 #agjd4 ,warton has given us the following character of his ,latin compositions1 for which ,dryden has celebrated him so highly3 ,his ,latin orations are wonderful specimens of wit and antithesis1 which were the delight of his age4 ,they want1 upon the whole1 the purity and simplicity of ,tully's eloquence1 but even exceed the sententious smartness of ,seneca1 and the surprising turns of ,pliny4 ,they are perpetually spirited1 and discover an uncommon quickness of thought4 ,the manner is concise and abrupt1 but yet perspicuous and easy3 ,his allusions are delicate1 and his observations sensible and animated2 his sentiments of congratulation1 or indignation1 are equally forcible3 his compliments are most elegantly turned1 and his satire is most ingeniously severe4 ,these compositions are extremely agreeable to read1 but1 in the present improvement of classical taste1 not so proper to be imitated4--,life of ,bathurst1 prefixed to his ,literary ,remains1 published under the inspection of ,mr ,warton4 ,,original ,,prologue ,,to ,,circe1 ,,by ,,dr ,,charles ,d',,avenant1 #afge4 ,dr ,charles ,d',avenant1 the author of ,circe1 was son of the ,rare ,sir ,william ,d',avenant1 whom he succeeded as manager of the ,duke's company4 ,he practised physic in ,doctor's ,commons1 which he afterwards abandoned for politics4 ,he became a member of ,parliament1 and inspector of the exports and imports1 of which office he died possessed in #agad4 ,he wrote many tracts upon political subjects1 especially those connected with the revenue4 ,circe1 his only drama1 is an opera1 to which ,bannister composed the music4 ,besides the ,prologue by our author1 it was honoured by an ,epilogue by the famous ,rochester1 and thus graced was received favourably4 ,it contains some good writing1 considering it was composed at the age of nineteen2 a circumstance alluded to in the following ,prologue4 ,the original ,prologue is from the #dto edition of ,circe1 ,london1 #afgg4 ,it was afterwards much improved1 or rather entirely re-written1 by our author4 ,were you but half so wise as you're severe1 ,our youthful poet should not need to fear2 ,to his green years your censures you would suit1 ,not blast the blossom1 but expect the fruit4 ,the sex1 that best does pleasure understand1 ,will always chuse to err on t'other hand4 ,they check not him that's aukward in delight1 ,but clap the young rogue's cheek1 and set him right4 ,thus heartened well1 and fleshed upon his prey1 ,the youth may prove a man another day4 ,for your own sakes1 instruct him when he's out1 ,you'll find him mend his work at every bout4 ,when some young lusty thief is passing by1 ,how many of your tender kind will cry1-- ,a proper fellow6 pity he should die6 ,he might be saved1 and thank us for our pains1 ,there's such a stock of love within his veins4 ,these arguments the women may persuade1 ,but move not you1 the brothers of the trade1 ,who1 scattering your infection through the pit1 ,with aching hearts and empty purses sit1 ,to take your dear five shillings worth of wit4 ,the praise you give him1 in your kindest mood1 ,comes dribbling from you1 just like drops of blood2 ,and then you clap so civilly1 for fear ,the loudness might offend your neighbour's ear1 ,that we suspect your gloves are lined within1 ,for silence sake1 and cotton'd next the skin4 ,from these usurpers we appeal to you1 ,the only knowing1 only judging few2 ,you1 who in private have this play allowed1 ,ought to maintain your suffrage to the crowd4 ,the captive1 once submitted to your bands1 ,you should protect from death by vulgar hands4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,circe1 ,,as ,,corrected ,,by ,,dryden4 ,were you but half so wise as you're severe1 ,our youthful poet should not need to fear2 ,to his green years your censures you would suit1 ,not blast the blossom1 but expect the fruit4 ,the sex1 that best does pleasure understand1 ,will always choose to err on t'other hand4 ,they check not him that's aukward in delight1 ,but clap the young rogue's cheek1 and set him right4 ,thus heartened well1 and fleshed upon his prey1 ,the youth may prove a man another day4 ,your ,ben and ,fletcher1 in their first young flight1 ,did no ,volpone1 nor no ,arbaces write2#cdc ,but hopped about1 and short excursions made ,from bough to bough1 as if they were afraid1 ,and each was guilty of some ,slighted ,maid4#cdd ,shakespeare's own muse her ,pericles first bore2#cde ,the ,prince of ,tyre was elder than the ,moor3 ',tis miracle to see a first good play2 ,all hawthorns do not bloom on ,christmas-day4#cdf ,a slender poet must have time to grow1 ,and spread and burnish as his brothers do4 ,who still looks lean1 sure with some pox is curst1 ,but no man can be ,falstaff-fat at first4 ,then damn not1 but indulge his rude essays1 ,encourage him1 and bloat him up with praise1 ,that he may get more bulk before he dies2 ,he's not yet fed enough for sacrifice4 ,perhaps1 if now your grace you will not grudge1 ,he may grow up to write1 and you to judge4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cdc3 ,characters in ,jonson's ,volpone1 and ,fletcher's ,king and no ,king1 which plays are justly held the master-pieces of these authors4 ,footnote #cdd3 ,the ,slighted ,maid was a contemporary drama1 written by ,sir ,richard ,stapylton1 of which ,dryden elsewhere takes occasion to speak in terms of contempt4 ,see the ,parallel betwixt ,poetry and ,painting4 ,footnote #cde3 ,this opinion seems to be solely founded on the inferiority of ,pericles1 to the other plays of ,shakspeare2 an inferiority so great1 as to warrant very strong doubts of its being the legitimate offspring of his muse at all4 ,footnote #cdf3 ,alluding to the legend of the ,glastonbury thorn1 supposed to bloom on ,christmas day4 ,,epilogue ,,intended ,,to ,,have ,,been ,,spoken ,,by ,,the ,,lady ,,hen4 ,,mar4 ,,wentworth4 ,,when ,,calisto ,,was ,,acted ,,at ,,court1 ,,in #afge4 ,calisto1 or the ,chaste ,nymph1 was a masque written by ,john ,crowne1 who1 by the interference of ,rochester1 was employed to compose such an entertainment to be exhibited at court1 though this was an encroachment on the office of ,dryden1 the poet laureat4 ,the principal characters were represented by the daughters of the ,duke of ,york1 and the first nobility4 ,the ,lady ,mary1 afterwards ,queen1 to whom the masque was dedicated1 acted ,calisto2 ,nyphe was represented by the ,lady ,anne1 who also succeeded to the throne2 ,jupiter1 by ,lady ,harriot ,wentworth2 ,psecas1 by ,lady ,mary ,mordaunt2 ,diana1 by ,mrs ,blague1 and ,mercury by ,mrs ,sarah ,jennings1 afterwards ,duchess of ,marlborough4 ,among the attendant nymphs and dancers were the ,countesses of ,pembroke and of ,derby1 ,lady ,catharine ,herbert1 ,mrs ,fitzgerald1 and ,mrs ,fraser4 ,the male dancers were the ,duke of ,monmouth1 ,viscount ,dunblaine1 ,lord ,daincourt1 and others of the first quality4 ,although the exhibition of this masque1 which it was the privilege of his office to have written1 must have been somewhat galling to ,dryden1 we see that he so far suppressed his feelings as to compose the following ,epilogue1 which1 to his farther mortification1 was rejected1 through the interference of ,rochester4 ,the ,lady ,henrietta ,maria ,wentworth1 ,baroness of ,nettlested1 who acted the part of ,jupiter on the present occasion1 afterwards adapted her conduct to that of ,calisto1 and became the mistress of the ,duke of ,monmouth4 ,he was so passionately attached to her1 that upon the scaffold he vindicated their intercourse by some very warm and enthusiastic expressions1 and could by no means be prevailed on to express any repentance of it as unlawful4 ,this lady died about a year after the execution of her unfortunate lover1 in #afhe4 ,her mother1 ,lady ,wentworth1 ordered a monument of ,l4 #bjjj value to be erected over her in the church of ,teddington1 ,bedfordshire4 ,as ,jupiter ,i made my court in vain2 ,i'll now assume my native shape again4 ,i'm weary to be so unkindly used1 ,and would not be a ,god1 to be refused4 ,state grows uneasy when it hinders love2 ,a glorious burden1 which the wise remove4 ,now1 as a nymph1 ,i need not sue1 nor try ,the force of any lightning but the eye4 ,beauty and youth1 more than a god command2 ,no ,jove could e'er the force of these withstand4 ',tis here that sovereign power admits dispute2 ,beauty sometimes is justly absolute4 ,our sullen ,cato's1 whatsoe'er they say1 ,even while they frown and dictate laws1 obey4 ,you1 mighty sir1 our bonds more easy make1 ,and1 gracefully1 what all must suffer1 take2 ,above those forms the grave affect to wear1 ,for 'tis not to be wise to be severe4 ,true wisdom may some gallantry admit1 ,and soften business with the charms of wit4 ,these peaceful triumphs with your cares you bought1 ,and from the midst of fighting nations brought4#cdg ,you only hear it thunder from afar1 ,and sit1 in peace1 the arbiter of war3 ,peace1 the loathed manna1 which hot brains despise1 ,you knew its worth1 and made it early prize2 ,and in its happy leisure1 sit and see ,the promises of more felicity2 ,two glorious nymphs of your own godlike line1 ,whose morning rays1 like noontide1 strike and shine2#cdh ,whom you to suppliant monarchs shall dispose1 ,to bind your friends1 and to disarm your foes4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cdg3 ,the war between ,france and the confederates was now raging on the ,continent4 ,footnote #cdh3 ,the glorious nymphs1 afterwards ,queens ,anne and ,mary1 both lived to exclude their own father and his son from the throne4 ,derrick1 ,i suppose1 alluded to this circumstance1 when in the next line he read supplant for suppliant monarchs4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,mode2 ,,or ,,sir ,,fopling ,,flutter4 ,,by ,,sir ,,george ,,etherege1 #afgf4 ,this play1 which long maintained a high degree of reputation on the stage1 presents us with the truest picture of what was esteemed good breeding and wit in the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,all the characters1 from ,dorimant down to the ,shoemaker1 were either really drawn from the life1 or depicted so accurately according to the manners of the times1 that each was instantly ascribed to some individual4 ,sir ,fopling ,flutter1 in particular1 was supposed to represent ,sir ,george ,hewit1 mentioned in the ,essay on ,satire1 and who seems to have been one of the most choice coxcombs of the period4 ,a very severe criticism in the ,spectator1 pointing out the coarseness as well as the immorality of this celebrated performance1 had a great effect in diminishing its popularity4 ,the satire being in fact personal1 it followed as a matter of course1 that the ,prologue should disclaim all personality1 that being an attribute to be discovered by the audience1 but not avowed by the poet4 ,dryden has accomplished this with much liveliness1 and enumerates for our edification the special fopperies which went to make up a complete fine gentleman in #afgf--;differing only in form from those required in #ahjf1 excepting that the ancient beau needed1 to complete his character1 a slight sprinkling of literary accomplishment1 which the modern has discarded with the sacred periwig4 ,most modern wits such monstrous fools have shown1 ,they seem not of heaven's making1 but their own4 ,those nauseous ,harlequins in farce may pass2 ,but there goes more to a substantial ass3 ,something of man must be exposed to view1 ,that1 gallants1 they may more resemble you4 ,sir ,fopling is a fool so nicely writ1 ,the ladies would mistake him for a wit2 ,and1 when he sings1 talks loud1 and cocks1 would cry1 ,i vow1 methinks1 he's pretty company6 ,so brisk1 so gay1 so travelled1 so refined1 ,as he took pains to graff upon his kind4 ,true fops help nature's work1 and go to school1 ,to file and finish ,god ,almighty's fool4 ,yet none ,sir ,fopling him1 or him can call2 ,he's knight o' the shire1 and represents ye all4 ,from each he meets he culls whate'er he can2 ,legion's his name1 a people in a man4 ,his bulky folly gathers as it goes1 ,and1 rolling o'er you1 like a snow-ball1 grows4 ,his various modes from various fathers follow2 ,one taught the toss1 and one the new ,french wallow2 ,his sword-knot this1 his cravat that designed2 ,and this the yard-long snake he twirls behind4 ,from one the sacred periwig he gained1 ,which wind ne'er blew1 nor touch of hat profaned4 ,another's diving bow he did adore1 ,which with a shog casts all the hair before1 ,till he1 with full decorum1 brings it back1 ,and rises with a water-spaniel shake4 ,as for his songs1 the ladies' dear delight1 ,these sure he took from most of you who write4 ,yet every man is safe from what he feared2 ,for no one fool is hunted from the herd4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,mithridates1 ,,king ,,of ,,pontus4 ,,by ,,mr ,n4 ,,lee1 #afgh4 ,this1 as appears from the ,prologue preserved in the ,luttrell collection1 was the first play acted in the season1 #afih-i4 ,it has1 like all ,lee's productions1 no small share of bombast1 with some strikingly beautiful passages4 ,you've seen a pair of faithful lovers die2 ,and much you care2 for most of you will cry1 ',twas a just judgment on their constancy4 ,for1 heaven be thanked1 we live in such an age1 ,when no man dies for love1 but on the stage3 ,and e'en those martyrs are but rare in plays2 ,a cursed sign how much true faith decays4 ,love is no more a violent desire2 ',tis a mere metaphor1 a painted fire4 ,in all our sex1 the name examined well1 ',tis pride to gain1 and vanity to tell4 ,in woman1 'tis of subtle interest made2 ,curse on the punk1 that made it first a trade6 ,she first did wit's prerogative remove1 ,and made a fool presume to prate of love4 ,let honour and preferment go for gold1 ,but glorious beauty is not to be sold2 ,or1 if it be1 'tis at a rate so high1 ,that nothing but adoring it should buy4 ,yet the rich cullies may their boasting spare2 ,they purchase but sophisticated ware4 ',tis prodigality that buys deceit1 ,where both the giver and the taker cheat4 ,men but refine on the old half-crown way2 ,and women fight1 like ,swissers1 for their pay4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,true ,,widow1 #afgi4 ,at this period ,shadwell and our author were on such good terms1 that ,dryden obliged him with the following ,prologue to the ,true ,widow2 a play intended to display the humours of various men of the town4 ,thus we have in the ,dramatis ,person1-- ,selfish4 ,a coxcomb1 conceited of his beauty1 wit1 and breeding1 thinking all women in love with him1 always admiring and talking to himself4 ,old ,maggot4 ,an old1 credulous fellow2 a great enemy to wit1 and a lover of business for business-sake4 ,young ,maggot4 ,his nephew3 an inns-of-court man1 who neglects law1 and runs mad after wit1 pretending much to love1 and both in spite of nature1 since his face makes him unfit for one1 and his brains for the other4 ,prig4 ,a coxcomb1 who never thinks or talks of any thing but dogs1 horses1 hunting1 hawking1 bowls1 tennis1 and gaming2 a rook1 a most noisy jockey4 ,lump4 ,a methodical coxcomb1 as regular as a clock1 and goes as true as a pendulum2 one that knows what he shall do every day of his life by his almanack1 where he sets down all his actions before-hand2 a mortal enemy to wit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,so many characters1 so minutely described1 lead us to suppose1 that some personal satire lay concealed under them2 and1 accordingly1 the ,prologue seems to have been written with a view of deprecating the resentment which this idea might have excited in the audience4 ,we learn1 however1 by the ,preface1 that the piece was unfavourably received1 either through the calamity of the time 7during the ,popish plot71 which made people not care for diversions1 or through the anger of a great many who thought themselves concerned in the satire4 ,the piece is far from being devoid of merit2 and the characters1 though drawn in ,shadwell's coarse1 harsh manner1 are truly comic4 ,that of the jockey1 since so popular1 seems to have been brought upon the stage for the first time in the ,true ,widow4 ,it is remarkable1 that1 though ,dryden writes the ,prologue1 the piece contains a sly hit at him4 ,maggot1 finding himself married to a portionless jilt1 says1 ,i must e'en write hard for the play-house2 ,i may get the reversion of the poet-laureat's place4 ,this1 however1 might be only meant as a good-humoured pleasantry among friends4 ,after the deadly quarrel with ,shadwell1 our author seems to have resumed his property in the ,prologue1 as it is prefixed to ,the ,widow ,ranter1 or ,the ,history of ,bacon in ,virginia1 a tragi-comedy by ,mrs ,behn1 acted in #afij4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,true ,,widow4 ,,by ,,thomas ,,shadwell1 #afgi4 ,heaven save ye1 gallants1 and this hopeful age6 ,y'are welcome to the downfall of the stage4 ,the fools have laboured long in their vocation1 ,and vice1 the manufacture of the nation1 ,o'erstocks the town so much1 and thrives so well1 ,that fops and knaves grow drugs1 and will not sell4 ,in vain our wares on theatres are shown1 ,when each has a plantation of his own4 ,his cause ne'er fails2 for whatsoe'er he spends1 ,there's still ,god's plenty for himself and friends4 ,should men be rated by poetic rules1 ,lord1 what a poll would there be raised from fools6 ,meantime poor wit prohibited must lie1 ,as if 'twere made some ,french commodity4 ,fools you will have1 and raised at vast expence2 ,and yet1 as soon as seen1 they give offence4 ,time was1 when none would cry1--,that oaf was me2 ,but now you strive about your pedigree4 ,bauble and cap#cdi no sooner are thrown down1 ,but there's a muss#cej of more than half the town4 ,each one will challenge a child's part at least2 ,a sign the family is well encreased4 ,of foreign cattle there's no longer need1 ,when we're supplied so fast with ,english breed4 ,well6 flourish1 countrymen2 drink1 swear1 and roar2 ,let every free-born subject keep his whore1 ,and wandering in the wilderness about1 ,at end of forty years not wear her out4 ,but when you see these pictures1 let none dare ,to own beyond a limb1 or single share2 ,for where the punk is common1 he's a sot1 ,who needs will father what the parish got4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cdi3 ,the fool's cap and bauble1 with which the ancient jester was equipped4 ,footnote #cej3 ,a scramble4 ,,prologue ,,to ,c,,sar ,,borgia4 ,,by ,,mr ,n4 ,,lee1 #afhj4 ,this play of ,nathaniel ,lee's was first acted at the ,duke's theatre1 in #afhj4 ,it is founded on the history of the natural son of ,pope ,alexander ,,vi4 ,the play fell soon into disrepute2 for ,cibber tells us1 that when ,powel was jealous of his fine dress in ,lord ,foppington1 and complained bitterly1 that he had not so good a suit to play ,csar ,borgia1 this bouncing play could do little more than pay candles and fiddles4--,apology4 ,the unhappy man1 who once has trailed a pen1 ,lives not to please himself1 but other men2 ,is always drudging1 wastes his life and blood1 ,yet only eats and drinks what you think good4 ,what praise soe'er the poetry deserve1 ,yet every fool can bid the poet starve4 ,that fumbling letcher to revenge is bent1 ,because he thinks himself1 or whore1 is meant3 ,name but a cuckold1 all the city swarms2 ,from ,leadenhall to ,ludgate is in arms4 ,were there no fear of ,antichrist1 or ,france1 ,in the blest time poor poets live by chance4 ,either you come not here1 or1 as you grace ,some old acquaintance1 drop into the place1 ,careless and qualmish with a yawning face3 ,you sleep o'er wit1--and by my troth you may2 ,most of your talents lie another way4 ,you love to hear of some prodigious tale1 ,the bell that tolled alone1 or ,irish whale4#cea ,news is your food1 and you enough provide1 ,both for yourselves1 and all the world beside4 ,one theatre there is1 of vast resort1 ,which whilome of ,requests was called the ,court#ceb2 ,but now the great exchange of news 'tis hight1 ,and full of hum and buzz from noon till night4 ,up stairs and down you run1 as for a race1 ,and each man wears three nations in his face4 ,so big you look1 though claret you retrench1 ,that1 armed with bottled ale1 you huff the ,french4 ,but all your entertainment still is fed ,by villains in your own dull island bred4 ,would you return to us1 we dare engage ,to shew you better rogues upon the stage4 ,you know no poison but plain ratsbane here2 ,death's more refined1 and better bred elsewhere4 ,they have a civil way in ,italy1 ,by smelling a perfume to make you die2 ,a trick would make you lay your snuff-box by4 ,murder's a trade1 so known and practised there1 ,that 'tis infallible as is the chair4 ,but mark their feast1 you shall behold such pranks6 ,the pope says grace1 but 'tis the devil gives thanks4#cec ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cea3 ,in ,dryden's days1 as in our own1 there were provided by the hawkers a plentiful assortment of wonders and prodigies to captivate the people2 with this difference1 that1 in that earlier period1 the readers and believers of these wonders were more numerous1 and of higher rank4 ,i cannot point out the particular prodigies referred to2 but ,i suppose they were of the same description as ,the wonderful blazing star2 with the dreadful apparition of two armies in the air2 the one out of the north1 the other out of the south1 seen on the #agth ,december1 #afhj1 betwixt four and five o'clock in the evening1 at ,ottery1 ten miles eastward of ,exon2 or as ,the strange and dreadful relation of a horrible tempest of thunder and lightning1 and of strange apparitions in the air1 accompanied with whirlwinds1 gusts of hail and rain1 which happened the #ajth of ,june1 #afhj1 at a place near ,weatherby1 in the county of ,york3 with the account how the top of strong oak1 containing one load of wood1 was taken off by a sheet of fire1 wrapped in a whirlwind1 and carried through the air1 half a mile distant from the place1 c4 ,as1 likewise1 another strange relation of a monstrous child with two heads1 four arms1 four legs1 and all things thereunto belonging2 born at a village1 called ,ill-,brewers1 in the county of ,somerset1 on the #aith of ,may last1 with several other circumstances and curious observations1 to the wonder of all that have beheld it4 ,footnote #ceb3 ,the court of ,requests was a general rendezvous for the news-mongers1 politicians1 and busy bodies of the time4 ,north says1 ,it was observable of ,oates1 that while he had his liberty1 as in ,king ,charles's time and ,king ,william's1 especially the latter1 he never failed to give his attendance in the court of ,requests1 and in the lobbies1 to solicit hard in all points under deliberation that might terminate in the prejudice of the church1 crown1 or of any gentlemen of the loyal1 or church of ,england party4 ,swift1 in his journal to ,stella1 makes frequent mention of the ,court of ,requests as a scene of political bustle and intrigue4 ,footnote #cec3 ,the ,popish plot being now in full force and credit1 our author here1 as in the ,spanish ,friar1 flatters the universal prejudice entertained against the ,catholics4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,sophonisba2 ,,spoken ,,at ,,oxford1 #afhj4 ,sophonisba was play of ,n4 ,lee1 first acted about #afgf4 ,it is in the taste of the ,french stage1 and of the romances of ,calprenede and ,scuderi4 ,hannibal and ,massinissa are introduced in the character of whining love-sick adorers of relentless beauty4 ,this prevailing taste is admirably ridiculed by ,boileau1 in a dialogue where a scene is laid in the infernal regions4 ,in the prologue spoken at ,oxford1 which was always famous for ,tory principles1 our author ventures to ridicule the ,popish ,plot1 and to predict the consequences of the predominance of fanatical principles to the studies cultivated in the ,university4 ,thespis1 the first professor of our art1 ,at country wakes1 sung ballads from a cart4 ,to prove this true1 if ,latin be no trespass1 ,dicitur et plaustris vexisse poemata ,thespis4 ,but schylus1 says ,horace in some page1 ,was the first mountebank that trod the stage3 ,yet ,athens never knew your learned sport1 ,of tossing poets in a tennis-court#ced4 ,but 'tis the talent of our ,english nation1 ,still to be plotting some new reformation2 ,and few years hence1 if anarchy goes on1 ,jack ,presbyter shall here erect his throne1 ,knock out a tub with preaching once a day1 ,and every prayer be longer than a play4 ,then all your heathen wits shall go to pot1 ,for disbelieving of a ,popish-plot2 ,your poets shall be used like infidels1 ,and worst1 the author of the ,oxford bells2#cee ,nor should we 'scape the sentence1 to depart1 ,even in our first original1 a cart2 ,no zealous brother there would want a stone1 ,to maul us cardinals1 and pelt pope ,joan4 ,religion1 learning1 wit1 would be supprest1 ,rags of the whore1 and trappings of the beast2 ,scot1 ,suarez1 ,tom of ,aquin1#cef must go down1 ,as chief supporters of the triple crown2 ,and ,aristotle's for destruction ripe2 ,some say1 he called the soul an organ-pipe1 ,which1 by some little help of derivation1 ,shall then be proved a pipe of inspiration4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ced3 ,apparently1 a tennis-court was the place where the temporary stage was erected at ,oxford4 ,footnote #cee3 ,probably some pasquinade against the ,whigs1 then current in the university4 ,footnote #cef3 ,noted school divines1 whose works 7the greater was the pity7 were then in high esteem in the university4 ,a ,,prologue4 ,this ,prologue was obviously spoken in #afhj-a1 from its frequent reference to the politics of that period3 but upon what particular occasion ,i have not discovered4 ,if yet there be a few that take delight ,in that which reasonable men should write1 ,to them alone we dedicate this night4 ,the rest may satisfy their curious itch ,with city-gazettes1 or some factious speech1#ceg ,or whate'er libel1 for the public good1 ,stirs up the shrove-tide crew to fire and blood4 ,remove your benches1 you apostate pit1 ,and take1 above1 twelve pennyworth of wit2 ,go back to your dear dancing on the rope1 ,or see what's worse1 the devil and the pope4#ceh ,the plays1 that take on our corrupted stage1 ,methinks1 resemble the distracted age2 ,noise1 madness1 all unreasonable things1 ,that strike at sense1 as rebels do at kings4 ,the style of forty-one our poets write1 ,and you are grown to judge like forty-eight4#cei ,such censures our mistaking audience make1 ,that 'tis almost grown scandalous to take4 ,they talk of fevers that infect the brains2 ,but nonsense is the new disease that reigns4 ,weak stomachs1 with a long disease opprest1 ,cannot the cordials of strong wit digest2 ,therefore thin nourishment of farce ye choose1 ,decoctions of a barley-water muse4 ,a meal of tragedy would make ye sick1 ,unless it were a very tender chick4 ,some scenes in sippets would be worth our time2 ,those would go down2 some love that's poached in rhime3 ,if these should fail---- ,we must lie down1 and1 after all our cost1 ,keep holiday1 like watermen in frost2 ,while you turn players on the world's great stage1 ,and act yourselves the farce of your own age4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ceg3 ,the ,city ,gazettes were such publications as the ,petition of the ,city1 ,mayor1 and ,aldermen1 for the sitting of parliament on the #acth ,january1 #afhj1 which is printed with the city arms prefixed1 by a solemn order of the common council1 and an appointment by the ,lord ,mayor1 that ,samuel ,roycroft1 printer to the city1 do print the same1 pursuant to order1 and that no other person presume to do so4 ,the factious speech was probably that of ,shaftesbury1 which was burned by the hands of the common hangman4 ,footnote #ceh3 ,the ,pope-burning1 so often mentioned4 ,footnote #cei3 ,the meaning is1 that the poets rebel against sense and criticism1 like the parliament1 in #afda1 against the king2 and that the audience judge as ill as those1 who1 in #afdh1 condemned ,charles to the block4 ,the parallel between the political disputes in #afhj1 and #afha1 and those which preceded the great civil war1 was fashionable among the ,tories4 ,a ,whig author1 who undertakes to answer the clamours of the malicious1 and to inform the ignorant on this subject1 complains1 ,it hath been all the clamour of late1 forty-one1 forty-one is now coming to be acted over again2 we are running in the very same steps1 in the same path and road1 to undo the nation1 and to ruin kingly government1 as our predecessors did in forty1 and forty-one4 ,we run the same courses1 we take the same measures2 latet anguis in herba2 beware of the ,presbyterian serpent1 who lurks in the affairs of eighty1 being the very same complexion1 form1 and shape1 as that of forty and forty one4--,the ,disloyal ,forty and ,forty-one1 and the ,loyal ,eighty1 presented to public view4 ,folio #afhj4 ,,epilogue ,,spoken ,,at ,,mithridates1 ,,king ,,of ,,pontus1 ,,the ,,first ,,play ,,acted ,,at ,,the ,,theatre ,,royal1 #afha4 ,this ,epilogue1 which occurs in ,luttrell's collection with many marginal corrections1 seems to have been spoken by ,goodman1 who is mentioned with great respect by ,cibber in his ,apology4 ,it is now for the first time received into ,dryden's poems4 ,pox on this playhouse6 'tis an old tired jade1 ',twill do no longer1 we must force a trade4 ,what if we all turn witnesses o' th' plot8-- ,that's overstockt1 there's nothing to be got4 ,shall we take orders8--,that will parts require1 ,and colleges give no degrees for hire2 ,would ,salamanca were a little nigher6 ,will nothing do8--,o1 now 'tis found1 ,i hope2 ,have not you seen the dancing of the rope8 ,when ,andr's#cfj wit was clean run off the score1 ,and ,jacob's capering tricks could do no more1 ,a damsel does to the ladder's top advance1 ,and with two heavy buckets drags a dance2 ,the yawning crowd perk up to see the sight1 ,and slaver'd at the mouth for vast delight4 ,oh1 friend1 there's nothing1 to enchant the mind1 ,nothing like that sweet sex to draw mankind3 ,the foundered horse1 that switching will not stir1 ,trots to the mare afore1 without a spur4 ,faith1 ,i'll go scour the scene-room1 and engage ,some toy within to save the falling stage4 ,exit4 ,re-enters with ,mrs ,cox4 ,who have we here again8 what nymph's i' th' stocks8 ,your most obedient slave1 sweet madam ,cox4 ,you'd best be coy1 and blush for a pretence2 ,for shame6 say something in your own defence6 ,mrs ,cox4 ,what shall ,i say8 ,i have been hence so long1 ,i've e'en almost forgot my mother-tongue2 ,if ,i can act1 ,i wish ,i were ten fathom ,beneath---- ,goodman4 ,o ,lord6 pray1 no swearing1 madam6 ,mrs ,cox4 ,if ,i had sworn1 yet sure1 to serve the nation1 ,i could find out some mental reservation4 ,well1 in plain terms1 gallants1 without a sham1 ,will you be pleased to take me as ,i am8 ,quite out of countenance1 with a downcast look1 ,just like a truant that returns to book3 ,yet ,i'm not old2 but1 if ,i were1 this place ,ne'er wanted art to piece a ruined face4 ,when greybeards governed1 ,i forsook the stage2 ,you know 'tis piteous work to act with age4 ,though there's no sense among these beardless boys1 ,there's what we women love1 that's mirth and noise4 ,these young beginners may grow up in time1 ,and the devil's in't1 if ,i am past my prime4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cfj3 ,alluding to ,st ,andr1 the famous dancing master1 and ,jacob ,hall1 the performer on the slack rope4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,a ,,tragedy ,,called ,,tamerlane1 #afha4 ,,by ,,charles ,,saunders4 ,this play was highly applauded at its first representation4 ,langbaine1 following perhaps this epilogue1 tells us1 that the genius of the author budded as early as that of the incomparable ,cowley2 and adds1 in evidence of farther sympathy1 that ,saunders was1 like him1 a king's scholar4 ,the play is said to be taken from a novel called ,tamerlane and ,asteria1 and was complimented with a copy of commendatory verses by ,mr ,banks4 ,it does not appear that ,saunders wrote any thing else4 ,ladies1 the beardless author of this day ,commends to you the fortune of his play4 ,a woman-wit has often graced the stage1 ,but he's the first boy-poet of our age4 ,early as is the year his fancies blow1 ,like young ,narcissus peeping through the snow4 ,thus ,cowley#cfa blossomed soon1 yet flourished long2 ,this is as forward1 and may prove as strong4 ,youth with the fair should always favour find1 ,or we are damned dissemblers of our kind4 ,what's all this love they put into our parts8 ',tis but the pit-a-pat of two young hearts4 ,should hag and grey-beard make such tender moan1 ,faith1 you'd even trust them to themselves alone1 ,and cry1 ,let's go1 here's nothing to be done4 ,since love's our business1 as 'tis your delight1 ,the young1 who best can practise1 best can write4 ,what though he be not come to his full power8 ,he's mending and improving every hour4 ,you sly she-jockies of the box and pit1 ,are pleased to find a hot unbroken wit2 ,by management he may in time be made1 ,but there's no hopes of an old battered jade2 ,faint and unnerved1 he runs into a sweat1 ,and always fails you at the second heat4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cfa3 ,cowley published in his sixteenth year1 a book called ,poetical ,blossoms4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford1 #afha4 ,this ,prologue appears to have been spoken at ,oxford shortly after the dissolution of the famous ,parliament held there1 ,march1 #afhj-a4 ,from the following couplet1 it would seem that the players had made an unsuccessful attempt to draw houses during the short sitting of that ,parliament3 ,we looked what representatives would bring1 ,but they served us just as they did the king4 ,at that time a greater stage was opened for the public amusement1 and the mimic theatre could excite little interest4 ,dryden seems1 though perhaps unconsciously1 to have borrowed the two first lines of this ,prologue from ,drayton3 ,the ,tuscan poet doth advance ,the frantic ,paladin of ,france4 ,nymphidia4 ,the famed ,italian muse1 whose rhimes advance ,orlando1 and the ,paladins of ,france1 ,records1 that1 when our wit and sense is flown1 ',tis lodged within the circle of the moon1 ,in earthern jars1 which one1 who thither soared1 ,set to his nose1 snuffed up1 and was restored4 ,whate'er the story be1 the moral's true2 ,the wit we lost in town1 we find in you4 ,our poets their fled parts may draw from hence1 ,and fill their windy heads with sober sense ,when ,london votes#cfb with ,southwark's disagree1 ,here may they find their long lost loyalty4 ,here busy senates1 to the old cause inclined1 ,may snuff the votes their fellows left behind2 ,your country neighbours1 when their grain grows dear1 ,may come1 and find their last provision here2 ,whereas we cannot much lament our loss1 ,who neither carried back1 nor brought one cross4 ,we looked what representatives would bring1 ,but they helped us--just as they did the king4 ,yet we despair not2 for we now lay forth ,the ,sibyl's books to those who know their worth2 ,and though the first was sacrificed before1 ,these volumes doubly will the price restore4 ,our poet bade us hope this grace to find1 ,to whom by long prescription you are kind4 ,he1 whose undaunted ,muse1 with loyal rage1 ,has never spared the vices of the age1 ,here finding nothing that his spleen can raise1 ,is forced to turn his satire into praise4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cfb3 ,the city of ,london had now declared against petitioning for parliament4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford4 ,this ,prologue must have been spoken at ,oxford during the residence of the ,duke of ,york in ,scotland1 in #afha-b4 ,the humour turns upon a part of the company having attended the ,duke to ,scotland1 where1 among other luxuries little known to my countrymen1 he introduced1 during his residence at ,holy ,rood ,house1 the amusements of the theatre4 ,i can say little about the actors commemorated in the following verses1 excepting1 that their stage was erected in the tennis-court of the palace1 which was afterwards converted into some sort of manufactory1 and finally1 burned down many years ago4 ,besides these deserters1 whom ,dryden has described very ludicrously1 he mentions a sort of strolling company1 composed1 it would seem1 of ,irishmen1 who had lately acted at ,oxford4 ,discord1 and plots1 which have undone our age1 ,with the same ruin have o'erwhelmed the stage4 ,our house has suffered in the common woe1 ,we have been troubled with ,scotch rebels too4 ,our brethren are from ,thames to ,tweed departed1 ,and of our sisters1 all the kinder-hearted ,to ,edinburgh gone1 or coached1 or carted4 ,with bonny bluecap there they act all night ,for ,scotch half-crown1 in ,english three-pence hight4 ,one nymph1 to whom fat ,sir ,john ,falstaff's lean1 ,there with her single person fills the scene4 ,another1 with long use and age decayed1 ,dived here old woman1 and rose there a maid4 ,our trusty door-keepers of former time ,there strut and swagger in heroic rhime4 ,tack but a copper-lace to drugget suit1 ,and there's a hero made without dispute2 ,and that1 which was a capon's tail before1 ,becomes a plume for ,indian emperor4 ,but all his subjects1 to express the care ,of imitation go1 like ,indians1 bare2 ,laced linen there would be a dangerous thing2 ,it might perhaps a new rebellion bring2 ,the ,scot1 who wore it1 would be chosen king4 ,but why should ,i these renegades describe1 ,when you yourselves have seen a lewder tribe8 ,teague has been here1 and1 to this learned pit1 ,with ,irish action slandered ,english wit2 ,you have beheld such barbarous ,macs appear1 ,as merited a second massacre2#cfc ,such as1 like ,cain1 were branded with disgrace1 ,and had their country stamped upon their face4 ,when strollers durst presume to pick your purse1 ,we humbly thought our broken troop not worse4 ,how ill soe'er our action may deserve1 ,oxford's a place where wit can never starve4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cfc3 ,alluding to the ,irish massacre4 ,,an ,,epilogue ,,for ,,the ,,king',s ,,house ,from the date of the various circumstances referred to1 this ,epilogue seems to have been spoken in #afha-b4 ,we act by fits and starts1 like drowning men1 ,but just peep up1 and then pop down again4 ,let those who call us wicked change their sense1 ,for never men lived more on ,providence4 ,not lottery cavaliers#cfd are half so poor1 ,nor broken cits1 nor a vacation whore2 ,not courts1 nor courtiers living on the rents ,of the three last ungiving parliaments2#cfe ,so wretched1 that1 if ,pharaoh could divine1 ,he might have spared his dream of seven lean kine1 ,and changed his vision for the muses nine4 ,the comet1 that1 they say1 portends a dearth1 ,was but a vapour drawn from playhouse earth2 ,pent there since our last fire1 and1 ,lilly says1#cff ,foreshows our change of state1 and thin third-days4 ',tis not our want of wit that keeps us poor2 ,for then the printer's press would suffer more4 ,their pamphleteers each day their venom spit2 ,they thrive by treason1 and we starve by wit4 ,confess the truth1 which of you has not laid ,four farthings out to buy the ,hatfield ,maid8#cfg ,or1 which is duller yet1 and more would spite us1 ,democritus his wars with ,heraclitus8#cfh ,such are the authors1 who have run us down1 ,and exercised you critics of the town4 ,yet these are pearls to your lampooning rhimes1 ,ye abuse yourselves more dully than the times4 ,scandal1 the glory of the ,english nation1 ,is worn to rags1 and scribbled out of fashion2 ,such harmless thrusts1 as if1 like fencers wise1 ,they had agreed their play before their prize4 ,faith1 they may hang their harps upon their willows2 ',tis just like children when they box with pillows4 ,then put an end to civil wars1 for shame6 ,let each knight-errant1 who has wronged a dame1 ,throw down his pen1 and give her1 as he can1 ,the satisfaction of a gentleman4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cfd3 ,the lottery cavaliers were the loyal indigent officers1 to whom the right of keeping lotteries was granted by patent in the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,there are many proclamations in the gazettes of the time against persons encroaching upon this exclusive privilege4 ,footnote #cfe3 ,the three ungiving parliaments were that convoked in #afgi1 and dissolved on the #ajth ,july in the same year2 that which was held at ,westminster #bast ,october1 #afhj1 and dissolved on the #ahth ,january following2 and1 finally1 the ,oxford parliament1 assembled #bast ,march1 #afhj-a1 and dissolved on the #bhth of the same month4 ,all these parliaments refused supplies to the crown1 until they should obtain security1 as they termed it1 for the ,protestant religion4 ,footnote #cff3 ,the famous astrologer ,lilly is here mentioned ironically4 ,in his ,strange and wonderful prophecy1 being a relation of many universal accidents that will come to pass in the year #afha1 according to the prognostications of the celestial bodies1 as well in this our ,english nation1 as in parts beyond the seas1 with a sober caution to all1 by speedy repentance1 to avert the judgments that are impendent1 ,i find an account of the great stream of light1 by some termed a blazing star1 which was seen in the south-west on ,saturday and ,sunday1 the #aath and #abth of this instant ,december1 between six and seven in the evening1 with several judicial opinions and conjectures on the same4 ,but the comet1 mentioned in the text1 may be that which is noticed in ,a strange and wonderful ,trinity1 or a ,triplicity of ,stupendous ,prodigies1 consisting of a wonderful eclipse1 as well as of a wonderful comet1 and of a wonderful conjunction1 now in its second return2 seeing all these three prodigious wonders do jointly portend wonderful events1 all meeting together in a strange harmonious triangle1 and are all the three royal heralds successively sent from the ,king of ,heaven1 to sound succeeding alarms for awakening a slumbering world4 ,beware the third time4 #dto4 ,london1 #afhc4 ,this comet is said to have appeared in ,october #afhb4 ,various interpretations were put upon these heavenly phenomena1 by ,gadbury1 ,lilly1 ,kirkby1 ,whalley1 and other ,philo-maths1 who were chiefly guided in their predictions by their political attachments4 ,some insisted they meant civil war1 others foreign conquest2 some that they presaged the downfall of the ,turk1 others that of the ,pope and ,french king2 some that they foretold dearth on the land1 and others1 the fertility of the king's bed1 by the birth of a son1 to the exclusion of the ,duke of ,york4 ,footnote #cfg3 ,this was one of the numerous devices used by the partizans of ,monmouth to strengthen his interest3 ,a relation was published1 in the name of one ,elizabeth ,freeman1 afterwards called the ,maid of ,hatfield1 setting forth1 ,that1 on the #bdth of ,january1 the appearance of a woman all in white1 with a white veil over her face1 accosted her with these words3 ',sweetheart1 the #aeth day of ,may is appointed for the royal blood to be poisoned4 ,be not afraid1 for ,i am sent to tell thee4' ,that on the #beth1 the same appearance stood before her again1 and she having then acquired courage enough to lay it under the usual adjuration1 in the name1 c4 it assumed a more glorious shape1 and said in a harsher tone of voice3 ',tell ,king ,charles from me1 and bid him not remove his parliament1 and stand to his council3' adding1 'do as ,i bid you4' ,that on the #bfth it appeared to her a third time1 but said only1 'do your message4' ,and that on the next night1 when she saw it for the last time1 it said nothing at all4 ,those who depend upon the people for support1 must try all manners of practices upon them2 and such fooleries as these sometimes operate more forcibly than expedients of a more rational kind4 ,care was1 besides1 taken1 to have this relation attested by ,sir ,joseph ,jordan1 a justice of the peace1 and the rector of ,hatfield1 ,dr ,lee1 who was one of the king's chaplains3 ,nay1 the message was actually sent to his majesty1 and the whole forgery very officiously circulated all over the kingdom4--,,ralph',s ,review of the ,reigns of ,charles ,,ii4 and ,james ,,ii4 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #efb4 ,the ,tories1 according to the custom of that time1 endeavoured to turn this apparition against those who invented it1 and published an ironical account of its appearance to ,lady ,gray1 the supposed mistress of the ,duke of ,monmouth4--,see ,,ralph1 ibid4 and this ,work1 ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #bgf4 ,footnote #cfh3 ,heraclitus ,ridens was a paper published weekly1 by ,l',estrange1 on the part of the court1 and answered by one called ,democritus on that of the ,whigs4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,his ,,royal ,,highness1 ,,upon ,,his ,,first ,,appearance ,,at ,,the ,,duke',s ,,theatre ,,after ,,his ,,return ,,from ,,scotland4 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mr ,,smith1 #bast ,,april1 #afhb4 ,the ,duke's return from ,scotland1 and the shock which it gave to the schemes of ,shaftesbury and the ,exclusionists1 has been mentioned at length in the ,notes to the ,second ,part of ,absalom and ,achitophel1 ,vol4 ix4 p4 #djb4 ,the passage upon which the note is given1 agrees with this ,prologue1 in representing the secret enemies of the ,duke of ,york as anxiously pressing forwards to greet his return3 ,while those that sought his absence to betray1 ,press first1 their nauseous false respects to pay2 ,him still the officious hypocrites molest1 ,and with malicious duty break his rest4 ,vol4 ix4 p4 #cdd4 ,the date of the ,prologue1 and the name of the speaker1 are marked on a copy in ,mr ,luttrell's collection4 ,in those cold regions which no summers cheer1 ,where brooding darkness covers half the year1 ,to hollow caves the shivering natives go1 ,bears range abroad1 and hunt in tracks of snow4 ,but when the tedious twilight wears away1 ,and stars grow paler at the approach of day1 ,the longing crowds to frozen mountains run1 ,happy who first can see the glimmering sun2 ,the surly savage offspring disappear1 ,and curse the bright successor of the year4 ,yet1 though rough bears in covert seek defence1 ,white foxes stay1 with seeming innocence2 ,that crafty kind with day-light can dispense4 ,still we are thronged so full with ,reynard's race1 ,that loyal subjects scarce can find a place2 ,thus modest truth is cast behind the crowd1 ,truth speaks too low1 hypocrisy too loud4 ,let them be first to flatter in success2 ,duty can stay1 but guilt has need to press4 ,once1 when true zeal the sons of ,god did call1 ,to make their solemn show at heaven's ,whitehall1 ,the fawning ,devil appeared among the rest1 ,and made as good a courtier as the best4 ,the friends of ,job1 who railed at him before1 ,came cap in hand when he had three times more4 ,yet late repentance may1 perhaps1 be true2 ,kings can forgive1 if rebels can but sue3 ,a tyrant's power in rigour is exprest2 ,the father yearns in the true prince's breast4 ,we grant1 an o'ergrown ,whig no grace can mend1 ,but most are babes1 that know not they offend2 ,the crowd1 to restless motion still inclined1 ,are clouds1 that rack according to the wind4 ,driven by their chiefs1 they storms of hailstones pour1 ,then mourn1 and soften to a silent shower4 ,o welcome to this much-offending land1 ,the prince that brings forgiveness in his hand6 ,thus angels on glad messages appear1 ,their first salute commands us not to fear2 ,thus heaven1 that could constrain us to obey1 7,with reverence if we might presume to say17 ,seems to relax the rights of sovereign sway2 ,permits to man the choice of good and ill1 ,and makes us happy by our own free-will4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,earl ,,of ,,essex4 ,,by ,,mr ,j4 ,,banks1 #afhb4 ,,spoken ,,to ,,the ,,king ,,and ,,the ,,queen ,,at ,,their ,,coming ,,to ,,the ,,house4 ,when first the ark was landed on the shore1 ,and heaven had vowed to curse the ground no more2 ,when tops of hills the longing patriarch saw1 ,and the new scene of earth began to draw2 ,the dove was sent to view the waves decrease1 ,and first brought back to man the pledge of peace4 ',tis needless to apply1 when those appear1 ,who bring the olive1 and who plant it here4 ,we have before our eyes the royal dove1 ,still innocence is harbinger of love3 ,the ark is opened to dismiss the train1 ,and people with a better race the plain4 ,tell me1 ye powers1 why should vain man pursue1 ,with endless toil1 each object that is new1 ,and for the seeming substance leave the true8 ,why should he quit for hopes his certain good1 ,and loath the manna of his daily food8 ,must ,england still the scene of changes be1 ,tost and tempestuous1 like our ambient sea8 ,must still our weather and our wills agree8 ,without our blood our liberties we have2 ,who1 that is free1 would fight to be a slave8 ,or1 what can wars to after-times assure1 ,of which our present age is not secure8 ,all that our monarch would for us ordain1 ,is but to enjoy the blessings of his reign4 ,our land's an ,eden1 and the main's our fence1 ,while we preserve our state of innocence3 ,that lost1 then beasts their brutal force employ1 ,and first their lord1 and then themselves destroy4 ,what civil broils have cost1 we know too well2 ,oh6 let it be enough that once we fell6 ,and every heart conspire1 and every tongue1 ,still to have such a king1 and this king long4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,loyal ,,brother1 ,,or ,,the ,,persian ,,prince4 ,the ,loyal ,brother1 or the ,persian ,prince1 was the first play of ,southerne1 afterwards so deservedly famous as a tragic poet4 ,it is said to be borrowed from a novel1 called1 ,tachmas1 ,prince of ,persia4 ,the character of the ,loyal ,brother is obviously designed as a compliment to the ,duke of ,york1 whose adherents and opponents now divided the nation4 ,southerne was at this time but three-and-twenty4 ,it is said1 that1 upon offering ,dryden five guineas for the following prologue1 which had hitherto been the usual compliment made him for such favours1 the bard returned the money2 and added1 not that ,i do so out of disrespect to you1 young man1 but the players have had my goods too cheap4 ,in future1 ,i must have ten guineas4 ,southerne was the first poet who drew large profit from the author's nights2 insomuch1 that he is said to have cleared by one play seven hundred pounds2 a circumstance that greatly surprised ,dryden1 who seldom gained by his best pieces more than a seventh part of the sum4 ,from these circumstances1 ,pope1 in his verses to ,southerne on his birth-day1 distinguishes him as ----,tom1 whom heaven sent down to raise ,the price of prologues and of plays4 ,the prologue1 as might be expected1 is very severe upon the ,whigs2 and alludes to all the popular subjects of dispute between the factions4 ,the refusal of supplies1 and the petition against the king's guards1 are slightly noticed1 but the great pope-burning is particularly dwelt upon2 and probably the reader will be pleased with an opportunity of comparing the account in the prologue with that given by ,roger ,north1 who seems to have entertained the same fear with ,dryden1 that the rabble might chuse to cry1 ,god save the king1 at ,whitehall4 ,but1 to return to our tumults4--,after it was found that there was to be a reinforcement at the next anniversary1 which was in #afhb1 it is not to be thought that the court was asleep1 or that the king would not endeavour to put a stop to this brutal outrage4 ,his majesty thought fit to take the ordinary regular course2 which was1 to send for the lord mayor1 c4 and to charge him to prevent riots in the city4 ,so the lord mayor and sheriffs attended the king in council2 and there they were told1 that dangerous tumults and disorders were designed in the city upon the #agth of ,november next1 at night1 on pretence of bonfires2 and his majesty expected that they1 who were entrusted with the government of the city1 for keeping the peace1 should1 by their authority1 prevent all such riotous disorders1 which1 permitted to go on1 was a misdemeanour of their whole body4 ,then one of them came forward1 and1 in a whining tone1 told the king1 that they did not apprehend any danger to his majesty1 or the city1 from these bonfires2 there was an ardour of the people against popery1 which they delighted to express in that manner1 but meant no harm3 ,and1 if they should go about to hinder them1 it would be taken as if they favoured popery2 and1 considering the great numbers1 and their zeal1 it might make them outrageous1 which1 let alone1 would not be2 and perhaps they themselves might not be secure in resisting them1 no not in their own houses2 and they hoped his majesty would not have them so exposed1 so long as they could assure his majesty that care should be taken1 that1 if they went about any ill thing1 they should be prevented3 or to this purpose1 as ,i had it from undoubted authority4 ,this was the godly care they had of the public peace1 and the repose of the city2 by which the king saw plainly what they were1 and what was to be expected from them4 ,there wanted not those who suggested the sending regiments into the city2 but the king 7always witty7 said1 he did not love to play with his horse4 ,but his majesty ordered that a party of horse should be drawn up1 and make a strong guard on the outside of ,temple-,bar2 and all the other guards were ordered to be in a posture at a minute's warning2 and so he took a middle1 but secure and inoffensive way2 and these guards did not break up till all the rout was over4 ,there were not a few in the court who either feared or favoured these doings2 it may be both2 the former being the cause of the latter4 ,this puts me in mind of a passage told me by one present4 ,it was of the ,lord ,archbishop of ,york1 ,dolben1 who was a goodly person1 and corpulent2 he came to the ,lord ,chief-,justice ,north1 and1 my lord1 said he1 7clapping his hand upon his great self17 what shall we do with these tumults of the people8 ,they will bear all down before them4 ,my lord1 said the ,chief ,justice1 fear ,god1 and don't fear the people4 ,a good hint from a man of law to an archbishop4 ,but when the day of execution was come1 all the show-fools of the town had made sure of places2 and1 towards the evening1 there was a great clutter in the street1 with taking down glass-windows1 and faces began to show themselves thereat2 and the hubbub was great1 with the shoals of people come there1 to take or seek accommodation4 ,and1 for the greater amazement of the people1 somebody had got up to the statue of ,elizabeth1 in the nich of ,temple-,bar1 and set her out like an heathen idol4 ,a bright shield was hung upon her arm1 and a spear put in1 or leaned upon1 the other hand2 and lamps1 or candles1 were put about1 on the wall of the nich1 to enlighten her person1 that the people might have a full view of the deity that1 like the goddess ,pallas1 stood there as the object of the solemn sacrifice about to be made4 ,there seemed to be an inscription upon the shield1 but ,i could not get near enough to discern what it was1 nor divers other decorations2 but whatever they were1 the eyes of the rout were pointed at them1 and lusty shouts were raised1 which was all the adoration could be paid before the grand procession came up4 ,i could fix in no nearer post than the ,green-,dragon ,tavern1 below in ,fleet-,street2 but1 before ,i settled in my quarters1 ,i rounded the crowd1 to observe1 as well as ,i could1 what was doing1 and saw much1 but afterwards heard more of the hard battles and skirmishes1 that were maintained from windows and balconies of several parties with one and the other1 and with the floor1 as the fancy of ,whig and ,tory incited4 ,all which were managed with the artillery of squibs1 whereof thousands of vollies went off1 to the great expence of powder and paper1 and profit to the poor manufacturer2 for the price of ammunition rose continually1 and the whole trade could not supply the consumption of an hour or two4 ,when we had posted ourselves at windows1 expecting the play to begin1 it was very dark1 but we could perceive the street to fill1 and the hum of the crowd grew louder and louder2 and1 at length1 with help of some lights below1 we could discern1 not only upwards towards the ,bar1 where the squib war was maintained1 but downwards towards ,fleet-,bridge1 the whole street was crowded with people1 which made that which followed seem very strange2 for1 about eight at night1 we heard a din from below1 which came up the street1 continually increasing1 till we could perceive a motion2 and that was a row of stout fellows1 that came1 shouldered together1 cross the street1 from wall to wall1 on each side4 ,how the people melted away1 ,i cannot tell2 but it was plain these fellows made clear board1 as if they had swept the street for what was to come after4 ,they went along like a wave2 and it was wonderful to see how the crowd made way3 ,i suppose the good people were willing to give obedience to lawful authority4 ,behind this wave 7which1 as all the rest1 had many lights attending7 there was a vacancy1 but it filled a-pace1 till another like wave came up2 and so four or five of these waves passed1 one after another2 and then we discerned more numerous lights1 and throats were opened with hoarse and tremendous noise2 and1 with that1 advanced a pageant1 borne along above the heads of the crowd1 and upon it sat an huge ,pope1 in pontificalibus1 in his chair1 with a reasonable attendance for state2 but his premier minister1 that shared most of his ear1 was1 ,il ,signior ,diavolo1 a nimble little fellow1 in a proper dress1 that had a strange dexterity in climbing and winding about the chair1 from one of the pope's ears to the other4 ,the next pageant was of a parcel of ,jesuits2 and after that 7for there was always a decent space between them7 came another1 with some ordinary persons with halters1 as ,i took it1 about their necks2 and one with a stenterophonic tube1 sounded--,abhorrers6 ,abhorrers6 most infernally2 and1 lastly1 came one1 with a single person upon it1 which1 some said1 was the pamphleteer ,sir ,roger ,l',estrange1 some the ,king of ,france1 some the ,duke of ,york2 but1 certainly1 it was a very complaisant civil gentleman1 like the former1 that was doing what every body pleased to have him1 and1 taking all in good part1 went on his way to the fire2 and however some1 to gratify their fancy1 might debase his character1 yet certainly he was a person of high quality1 because he came in the place of state1 which is last of all4 ,when these were passed1 our coast began to clear1 but it thickened upwards1 and the noise increased2 for1 as we were afterwards informed1 these stately figures were planted in a demilune about an huge fire1 that shined upon them2 and the balconies of the club were ready to crack with their factious load1 till the good people were satiated with the fine show2 and then the hieroglyphic monsters were brought condignly to a new light of their own making1 being1 one after another1 added to increase the flames3 all which was performed with fitting salvos of the rabble1 echoed from the club1 which made a proper music to so pompous a sacrifice4 ,were it not for the late attempts to have renewed these barbarities1#cfi it had been more reasonable to have forgot the past1 that such a stain might not have remained upon the credit of human kind1 whom we would not have thought obnoxious to any such2 but1 as it is now otherwise1 all persons1 that mean humanely1 ought to discourage them2 and one way is1 to expose the factious brutality of such unthinking rabble sports1 by showing1 as near as we can1 how really they were acted2 the very knowledge of which1 one would think1 should make them for ever to be abhorred and detested of all rational beings4--,,north',s ,examen4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cfi3 ,probably alluding to the pope-burning1 meditated by the ,whigs during the administration of ,harley4 ,swift1 in his journal to ,stella1 mentions the figures intended for the procession having been seized by government4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,loyal ,,brother1 ,,or ,,the ,,persian ,,prince4 ,,by ,,mr ,,southerne1 #afhb4 ,poets1 like lawful monarchs1 ruled the stage1 ,till critics1 like damned ,whigs1 debauched our age4 ,mark how they jump6 critics would regulate ,our theatres1 and ,whigs reform our state2 ,both pretend love1 and both 7plague rot them67 hate4 ,the critic humbly seems advice to bring1 ,the fawning ,whig petitions to the king2 ,but one's advice into a satire slides1 ,t'other's petition a remonstrance hides4 ,these will no taxes give1 and those no pence2 ,critics would starve the poet1 ,whigs the prince4 ,the critic all our troops of friends discards2 ,just so the ,whig would fain pull down the guards4 ,guards are illegal1 that drive foes away1 ,as watchful shepherds1 that fright beasts of prey4 ,kings1 who disband such needless aids as these1 ,are safe--as long as e'er their subjects please2 ,and that would be till next ,queen ,bess's night1 ,which thus grave penny chroniclers indite4#cgj ,sir ,edmondbury first1 in woful wise1 ,leads up the show1 and milks their maudlin eyes4 ,there's not a butcher's wife but dribs her part1 ,and pities the poor pageant from her heart2 ,who1 to provoke revenge1 rides round the fire1 ,and1 with a civil cong1 does retire3 ,but guiltless blood to ground must never fall2 ,there's ,antichrist behind1 to pay for all4 ,the punk of ,babylon in pomp appears1 ,a lewd old gentleman of seventy years2 ,whose age in vain our mercy would implore1 ,for few take pity on an old cast whore4 ,the devil1 who brought him to the shame1 takes part2 ,sits cheek by jowl1 in black1 to cheer his heart1 ,like thief and parson in a ,tyburn-cart4 ,the word is given1 and with a loud huzza ,the mitred poppet from his chair they draw3 ,on the slain corpse contending nations fall-- ,alas6 what's one poor pope among them all6 ,he burns2 now all true hearts your triumphs ring2 ,and next1 for fashion1 cry1 ,god save the king6 ,a needful cry in midst of such alarms1 ,when forty thousand men are up in arms4 ,but after he's once saved1 to make amends1 ,in each succeeding health they damn his friends3 ,so ,god begins1 but still the devil ends4 ,what if some one1 inspired with zeal1 should call1 ,come1 let's go cry1 ,god save him at ,whitehall8 ,his best friends would not like this over-care1 ,or think him e'er the safer for this prayer4 ,five praying saints#cga are by an act allowed1 ,but not the whole church-militant in crowd2 ,yet1 should heaven all the true petitions drain ,of ,presbyterians1 who would kings maintain1 ,of forty thousand1 five would scarce remain4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cgj3 ,see a copy of the penny chronicle alluded to1 containing a minute account of this celebrated procession1 with a cut illustrative of the description1 ,vol4 ,,vi4 p4 #bbb4 ,footnote #cga3 ,only five dissenters were allowed to meet together by the penal statutes4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,the ,,same4 ,a virgin poet was served up to-day1 ,who1 till this hour1 ne'er cackled for a play4 ,he's neither yet a ,whig nor ,tory boy2 ,but1 like a girl1 whom several would enjoy1 ,begs leave to make the best of his own natural toy4 ,were ,i to play my callow author's game1 ,the ,king's ,house would instruct me by the name4#cgb ,there's loyalty to one2 ,i wish no more3 ,a commonwealth sounds like a common whore4 ,let husband or gallant be what they will1 ,one part of woman is true ,tory still4 ,if any factious spirit should rebel1 ,our sex1 with ease1 can every rising quell4 ,then1 as you hope we should your failings hide1 ,an honest jury for our play provide4 ,whigs at their poets never take offence2 ,they save dull culprits1 who have murdered sense4 ,though nonsense is a nauseous heavy mass1 ,the vehicle called ,faction makes it pass2 ,faction in play's the commonwealth-man's bribe2 ,the leaden farthing of the canting tribe3 ,though void in payment laws and statutes make it1 ,the neighbourhood1 that knows the man1 will take it4#cgc ',tis faction buys the votes of half the pit2 ,their's is the pension-parliament#cgd of wit4 ,in city-clubs their venom let them vent2 ,for there 'tis safe1 in its own element4 ,here1 where their madness can have no pretence1 ,let them forget themselves an hour of sense4 ,in one poor isle1 why should two factions be8 ,small difference in your vices ,i can see3 ,in drink and drabs both sides too well agree4 ,would there were more preferments in the land6 ,if places fell1 the party could not stand4 ,of this damned grievance every ,whig complains1 ,they grunt like hogs till they have got their grains4 ,mean time1 you see what trade our plots advance2 ,we send each year good money into ,france2 ,and they that know what merchandize we need1 ,send o'er true ,protestants#cge to mend our breed4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cgb3 ,where the play was acted4 ,footnote #cgc3 ,alluding to the tokens issued by tradesmen in place of copper money1 which1 though not a legal tender of payment1 continued to be current by the credit of the individual whose name they bore4 ,tom ,brown mentions ,alderman ,buncombe's leaden halfpence4 ,footnote #cgd3 ,the ,parliament1 which sat from the ,restoration till #afgh1 bore this ignominious epithet among the ,whigs4 ,footnote #cge3 ,alluding to the emigration of the ,french ,huguenots1 which the intolerance of ,louis ,,xiv4 and his ministers began to render general4 ,many took refuge in ,england4 ,see ,vol4 ,x4 p4 #bfd4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford1 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mr ,,hart ,,at ,,the ,,acting ,,of ,,the ,,silent ,,woman4 ,what ,greece1 when learning flourished1 only knew1 ,athenian judges1 you this day renew4 ,here1 too1 are annual rites to ,pallas done1 ,and here poetic prizes lost or won4 ,methinks ,i see you1 crowned with olives1 sit1 ,and strike a sacred horror from the pit4 ,a day of doom is this of your decree1 ,where even the best are but by mercy free2 ,a day1 which none but ,jonson durst have wished to see4 ,here they1 who long have known the useful stage1 ,come to be taught themselves to teach the age4 ,as your commissioners our poets go1 ,to cultivate the virtue which you sow2 ,in your ,lycum first themselves refined1 ,and delegated thence to human kind4 ,but as ambassadors1 when long from home1 ,for new instructions to their princes come1 ,so poets1 who your precepts have forgot1 ,return1 and beg they may be better taught3 ,follies and faults elsewhere by them are shown1 ,but by your manners they correct their own4 ,the illiterate writer1 emp'ric-like1 applies ,to minds diseased1 unsafe chance remedies3 ,the learned in schools1 where knowledge first began1 ,studies with care the anatomy of man2 ,sees virtue1 vice1 and passions in their cause1 ,and fame from science1 not from fortune1 draws2 ,so ,poetry1 which is in ,oxford made ,an art1 in ,london only is a trade4 ,there haughty dunces1 whose unlearned pen ,could ne'er spell grammar1 would be reading men4#cgf ,such build their poems the ,lucretian way2 ,so many huddled atoms make a play2 ,and if they hit in order by some chance1 ,they call that nature1 which is ignorance4 ,to such a fame let mere town-wits aspire1 ,and their gay nonsense their own cits admire4 ,our poet1 could he find forgiveness here1 ,would wish it rather than a plaudit there4 ,he owns no crown from those ,prtorian bands1#cgg ,but knows that right is in the senate's hands4 ,not impudent enough to hope your praise1 ,low at the ,muses' feet his wreath he lays1 ,and1 where he took it up1 resigns his bays4 ,kings make their poets whom themselves think fit1 ,but 'tis your suffrage makes authentic wit4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cgf3 ,an allusion to ,shadwell2 who boasted1 that he drew his characters from nature1 in contempt of regular criticism4 ,footnote #cgg3 ,alluding to the mode in which the emperors were chosen during the decline of the empire1 when the soldiers of the ,prtorian guards were the electors1 without regard to the legal rights of the senate4 ,,epilogue1 ,,spoken ,,by ,,the ,,same4 ,no poor ,dutch peasant1 winged with all his fear1 ,flies with more haste1 when the ,french arms draw near1 ,than we1 with our poetic train1 come down1 ,for refuge hither1 from the infected town3 ,heaven1 for our sins1 this summer has thought fit ,to visit us with all the plagues of wit4 ,a ,french troop first swept all things in its way2 ,but those hot ,monsieurs were too quick to stay3 ,yet1 to our cost1 in that short time1 we find ,they left their itch of novelty behind4 ,the ,italian merry-andrews took their place1 ,and quite debauched the stage with lewd grimace3 ,instead of wit1 and humours1 your delight ,was there to see two hobby-horses fight2 ,stout ,scaramoucha with rush lance rode in1 ,and ran a tilt at centaur ,arlequin4 ,for love you heard how amorous asses brayed1 ,and cats in gutters gave their serenade4 ,nature was out of countenance1 and each day ,some new-born monster shown you for a play4 ,but when all failed1 to strike the stage quite dumb1 ,those wicked engines1 called machines1 are come4 ,thunder and lightning now for wit are played1 ,and shortly scenes in ,lapland will be laid3 ,art magic is for poetry profest1#cgh ,and cats and dogs1 and each obscener beast1 ,to which ,egyptian dotards once did bow1 ,upon our ,english stage are worshipped now4 ,witchcraft reigns there1 and raises to renown ,macbeth#cgi and ,simon ,magus of the town4 ,fletcher's despised1 your ,jonson's out of fashion1 ,and wit the only drug in all the nation4 ,in this low ebb our wares to you are shown1 ,by you those staple authors' worth is known1 ,for wit's a manufacture of your own4 ,when you1 who only can1 their scenes have praised1 ,we'll back1 and boldly say1 their price is raised4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cgh3 ,this and the following lines refer to the success of ,shadwell's comedy of ,the ,lancashire ,witches1 in which a great deal of machinery is introduced2 the witches flying away with the clown's candles1 and the priest's bottle of holy water1 and converting a country-fellow into a horse upon the stage4 ,not content with this1 the author has introduced upon the stage all that writers upon ,dmonology have rehearsed of the ,witches' ,sabbath1 or ,festival1 with their infernal master2 and has thus1 very clumsily1 mixed the horrible with the ludicrous4 ,as for the cats and dogs1 we have1 in one place1--,enter an ,imp1 in the shape of a black ,shock2 and1 in another1 ,enter ,mother ,hargrave1 ,mother ,madge1 and two ,witches more2 they mew1 and spit1 like cats1 and fly at them1 and scratch them4 ,young ,hartford4 ,what's this8 we're set on by cats4 ,sir ,timothy4 ,they're witches in the shape of cats2 what shall we do8 ,priest4 ,phaat will ,i do8 cat1 cat1 cat6 oh1 oh6 ,conjuro vobis6 fugite1 fugite1 ,cacodmones2 cats1 cats6 7,they scratch all their faces1 till the blood runs about them47 ,tom ,shacklehead4 ,have at ye all6 7he cuts at them47 ,i ha' mauled some of them1 by the mass6 they are fled1 but ,i am plaguily scratched4 7,the ,witches shriek1 and run away47 ,besides the offence which ,shadwell gave1 in point of taste1 by the introduction of these pantomimical absurdities1 ,dryden was also displeased by the whole tenor of the play1 which was directed against the ,high-,churchmen and ,tories4--,see ,dedication of the ,duke of ,guise1 ,vol4 ,,vii4 p4 #ae4 ,footnote #cgi3 ,this has no reference to any recent representation of the tragedy of ,macbeth4 ,shadwell1 from the witchcraft introduced in his play1 is ironically termed1 ,macbeth and ,simon ,magus4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford4 ,though actors cannot much of learning boast1 ,of all who want it1 we admire it most3 ,we love the praises of a learned pit1 ,as we remotely are allied to wit4 ,we speak our poet's wit1 and trade in ore1 ,like those who touch upon the golden shore2 ,betwixt our judges can distinction make1 ,discern how much1 and why our poems take2 ,mark if the fools1 or men of sense1 rejoice2 ,whether the applause be only sound or voice4 ,when our fop gallants1 or our city folly1 ,clap over loud1 it makes us melancholy3 ,we doubt that scene which does their wonder raise1 ,and1 for their ignorance1 contemn their praise4 ,judge1 then1 if we who act1 and they who write1 ,should not be proud of giving you delight4 ,london likes grossly2 but this nicer pit ,examines1 fathoms1 all the depths of wit2 ,the ready finger lays on every blot2 ,knows what should justly please1 and what should not4 ,nature herself lies open to your view2 ,you judge1 by her1 what draught of her is true1 ,where outlines false1 and colours seem too faint1 ,where bunglers daub1 and where true poets paint4 ,but by the sacred genius of this place1 ,by every muse1 by each domestic grace1 ,be kind to wit1 which but endeavours well1 ,and1 where you judge1 presumes not to excel6 ,our poets hither for adoption come1 ,as nations sued to be made free of ,rome3 ,not in the suffragating tribes#chj to stand1 ,but in your utmost1 last1 provincial band4 ,if his ambition may those hopes pursue1 ,who1 with religion1 loves your arts and you1 ,oxford to him a dearer name shall be ,than his own mother-university4 ,thebes#cha did his green1 unknowing1 youth engage2 ,he chooses ,athens in his riper age4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #chj3 ,alluding to the ,roman citizens1 who had the right of voting1 denied to the lower1 or provincial orders4 ,footnote #cha3 ,our author was educated at ,cambridge4 ,whether the sons of ,cam relished this avowed preference of ,oxford1 may be doubted4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,constantine ,,the ,,great4 ,,by ,,mr ,n4 ,,lee1 #afhd4 ,the play1 to which this is the prologue1 is but a second-rate performance4 ,it is founded on the story of ,faustina and ,crispus1 which the learned will find in ,ammianus ,marcellinus1 and the ,english reader in ,gibbon4 ,arius1 the heretic1 is the villain of the piece1 which concludes fortunately4 ,our hero's happy in the play's conclusion2 ,the holy rogue at last has met confusion3 ,though ,arius all along appeared a saint1 ,the last act showed him a ,true ,protestant4#chb ,eusebius1--for you know ,i read ,greek authors1-- ,reports1 that1 after all these plots and slaughters1 ,the court of ,constantine was full of glory1 ,and every ,trimmer turned addressing ,tory4 ,they followed him in herds as they were mad3 ,when ,clause was king1 then all the world was glad4#chc ,whigs kept the places they possest before1 ,and most were in a way of getting more2 ,which was as much as saying1 ,gentlemen1 ,here's power and money to be rogues again4 ,indeed1 there were a sort of peaking tools1 ,some call them modest1 but ,i call them fools2 ,men much more loyal1 though not half so loud1 ,but these poor devils were cast behind the crowd2 ,for bold knaves thrive without one grain of sense1 ,but good men starve for want of impudence4 ,besides all these1 there were a sort of wights1 7,i think my author calls them ,tekelites17 ,such hearty rogues against the king and laws1 ,they favoured e'en a foreign rebel's cause1 ,when their own damned design was quashed and awed2 ,at least they gave it their good word abroad4 ,as many a man1 who1 for a quiet life1 ,breeds out his bastard1 not to noise his wife1 ,thus1 o'er their darling plot these ,trimmers cry1 ,and1 though they cannot keep it in their eye1 ,they bind it 'prentice to ,count ,tekely4#chd ,they believe not the last plot2 may ,i be curst1 ,if ,i believe they e'er believed the first6 ,no wonder their own plot no plot they think1-- ,the man1 that makes it1 never smells the stink4 ,and1 now it comes into my head1 ,i'll tell ,why these damned ,trimmers loved the ,turks so well4 ,the original ,trimmer1#che though a friend to no man1 ,yet in his heart adored a pretty woman2 ,he knew that ,mahomet laid up for ever ,kind black-eyed rogues for every true believer2 ,and1--which was more than mortal man e'er tasted1-- ,one pleasure that for threescore twelvemonths lasted4 ,to turn for this1 may surely be forgiven2 ,who'd not be circumcised for such a heaven8 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #chb3 ,alluding to the ,whigs1 who called themselves so4 ,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #baa4 ,footnote #chc3 ,alluding to the gratulating speech of ,orator ,higgins to ,clause1 when elected ,king of the ,beggars3 ,who is he here that did not wish thee chosen1 ,now thou art chosen8 ,ask them2 all will say so1 ,nay1 swear't--'tis for the king1--but let that pass4 ,beggars' ,bush1 ,act ,,ii4 ,scene ,i4 ,footnote #chd3 ,the severity of the ,austrian government1 in ,hungary particularly1 towards those who dissented from the ,roman ,catholic faith1 occasioned several insurrections4 ,the most memorable was headed by ,count ,teckeli1 who allied himself with the sultan1 assumed the crown of ,transylvania1 as a vassal of the ,porte1 and joined1 with a considerable force1 the large army of ,turks which besieged ,vienna1 and threatened to annihilate the ,austrian empire4 ,a similarity of situation and of interest induced the ,whig party in ,england to look with a favourable eye upon this ,hungarian insurgent1 as may be fully inferred from the following passage in ,de ,foe's ,appeal to ,honour and ,justice3 ,the first time ,i had the misfortune to differ with my friends1 was about the year #afhc1 when the ,turks were besieging ,vienna1 and the ,whigs in ,england1 generally speaking1 were for the ,turks taking it2 which ,i1 having read the history of the cruelty and perfidious dealings of the ,turks in their wars1 and how they had rooted out the name of the ,christian religion in above threescore and ten kingdoms1 could by no means agree with2 and1 though then but a young man1 and a younger author1 ,i opposed it1 and wrote against it1 which was taken very unkindly indeed4 ,the incongruity of the opinion combated by ,de ,foe1 with the high pretences of religion set up by the ,whigs1 was the constant subject of ridicule to the ,tory wits4 ,in a poem1 entitled1 ,the ,third ,part of ,advice to the ,painter1 dated by ,luttrell #bhth ,may1 #afhd1 we find the following passage3 ,paint me that mighty powerful state a shaking1 ,and their great prophet1 ,teckely1 a quaking2 ,who for religion made such bustling work1 ,that1 to reform it1 he brought in the ,turk4 ,next1 paint our ,english muftis of the tub1 ,those great promoters of the ,teckelites' club4 ,draw me them praying for the ,turkish cause1 ,and for the overthrow of ,christian laws4 ,another ,tory poet prophecies of the infant son of ,james ,,ii41-- ,his conquering arm shall soon subdue ,teckelite ,turks and home-bred ,jew1 ,such as our great forefathers never knew4 ,pindaric ,ode on the ,queen's ,delivery1 by ,caleb ,calle4 ,another ballad1 written shortly after the defeat of ,monmouth1 is entitled1 ,a ,song upon the ,rendezvous on ,hounsley-heath1 with a ,parallel of the ,destruction of our ,english ,turks in the ,west1 and the ,mahometans in ,hungary4 ,the expression occurs also in the ,address of the ,carlisle ,citizens on the ,declaration of ,indulgence1 who thank his majesty for his royal army1 which is really both the honour and safety of the nation1 let the ,teckelites think and say what they will4 ,an indignant ,whig commentator on this effusion of loyalty1 says1 ,what the good men of ,carlisle mean by ,teckelites1 we know not any more than they know themselves4 ,however1 the word has a pretty effect at a time when the ,protestant ,hungarians1 under ,count ,teckely1 were well beaten by the ,popish standing army in ,hungary4 ,history of ,addresses1 p4 #afa4 ,footnote #che3 ,the original ,trimmer was probably meant for ,lord ,shaftesbury1 once a member of the ,cabal1 and a favourite minister1 though afterwards in such violent opposition4 ,his lordship's turn for gallantry was such as distinguished him even at the court of ,charles4--,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #ddf4 ,the party of ,trimmers1 properly so called1 only comprehended the followers of ,halifax2 but our author seems to include all those who1 professing to be friends of monarchy1 were enemies of the ,duke of ,york1 and who were as odious to the court as the fanatical republicans4 ,much wit1 and more virulence1 was unchained against them4 ,among others1 ,i find in ,mr ,luttrell's ,collection1 a poem1 entitled1 ,the ,character of a ,trimmer1 beginning thus3 ,hang out your cloth1 and let the trumpet sound1 ,here's such a beast as ,afric never owned3 ,a twisted brute1 the satyr in the story1 ,that blows up the ,whig heat1 and cools the ,tory2 ,a state hermaphrodite1 whose doubtful lust ,salutes all parties with an equal gust4 ,like ,ireland shocks1 he seems two natures joined2 ,savage before1 and all betrimmed behind2 ,and the well-tutored curs like him will strain1 ,come over for the king1 and back again1 c4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,disappointment1 ,,or ,,the ,,mother ,,in ,,fashion4 ,,by ,,mr ,,southerne1 #afhd4 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mr ,,betterton4 ,this play is founded on the novel of the ,impertinent ,curiosity1 in ,don ,quixote4 ,it possesses no extraordinary merit4 ,the satire of the ,prologue1 though grossly broad1 is very forcibly expressed2 and describes what we may readily allow to have been the career of many1 who set up for persons of wit and honour about town4 ,how comes it1 gentlemen1 that1 now a-days1 ,when all of you so shrewdly judge of plays1 ,our poets tax you still with want of sense8 ,all prologues treat you at your own expence4 ,sharp citizens a wiser way can go2 ,they make you fools1 but never call you so4 ,they in good manners seldom make a slip1 ,but treat a common whore with--ladyship3 ,but here each saucy wit at random writes1 ,and uses ladies as he uses knights4 ,our author1 young and grateful in his nature1 ,vows1 that from him no nymph deserves a satire3 ,nor will he ever draw--,i mean his rhime1 ,against the sweet partaker of his crime2 ,nor is he yet so bold an undertaker1 ,to call men fools--'tis railing at their ,maker4 ,besides1 he fears to split upon that shelf2 ,he's young enough to be a fop himself3 ,and1 if his praise can bring you all a-bed1 ,he swears such hopeful youth no nation ever bred4 ,your nurses1 we presume1 in such a case1 ,your father chose1 because he liked the face1 ,and often they supplied your mother's place4 ,the dry nurse was your mother's ancient maid1 ,who knew some former slip she ne'er betrayed4 ,betwixt them both1 for milk and sugar-candy1 ,your sucking bottles were well stored with brandy4 ,your father1 to initiate your discourse1 ,meant to have taught you first to swear and curse1 ,but was prevented by each careful nurse4 ,for1 leaving dad and mam1 as names too common1 ,they taught you certain parts of man and woman4 ,i pass your schools2 for there1 when first you came1 ,you would be sure to learn the ,latin name4 ,in colleges1 you scorned the art of thinking1 ,but learned all moods and figures of good drinking2 ,thence come to town1 you practise play1 to know ,the virtues of the high dice1 and the low4#chf ,each thinks himself a sharper most profound3 ,he cheats by pence2 is cheated by the pound4 ,with these perfections1 and what else he gleans1 ,the spark sets up for love behind our scenes1 ,hot in pursuit of princesses and queens4 ,there1 if they know their man1 with cunning carriage1 ,twenty to one but it concludes in marriage4 ,he hires some homely room1 love's fruits to gather1 ,and1 garret high1 rebels against his father3 ,but1 he once dead---- ,brings her in triumph1 with her portion1 down-- ,a toilet1 dressing-box1 and half-a-crown4#chg ,some marry first1 and then they fall to scowering1 ,which is refining marriage into whoring4 ,our women batten well on their good nature2 ,all they can rap and rend for the dear creature4 ,but while abroad so liberal the dolt is1 ,poor spouse at home as ragged as a colt is4 ,last1 some there are1 who take their first degrees ,of lewdness in our middle galleries2 ,the doughty bullies enter bloody drunk1 ,invade and grubble one another's punk3 ,they caterwaul1 and make a dismal rout1 ,call sons of whores1 and strike1 but ne'er lug out3 ,thus1 while for paltry punk they roar and stickle1 ,they make it bawdier than a conventicle4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #chf3 ,loaded dice1 contrived some for high1 and others for low throws4 ,footnote #chg3 ,our author seems to copy himself in this passage4 ,his old father1 in the country1 would have given him but little thanks for it1 to see him bring down a fine-bred woman1 with a lute and a dressing-box1 and a handful of money to her portion4--,the ,wild ,gallant1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #ff4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,king ,,and ,,queen1 ,,upon ,,the ,,union ,,of ,,the ,,two ,,companies1 ,,in #afhf4 ,the two rival ,companies1 so long known by the names of the ,king's and the ,duke's players1 after exhausting every effort1 both of poetry and machinery1 to obtain a superiority over each other1 were1 at length1 by the expence of these exertions1 and the inconstancy of the public1 reduced to the necessity of uniting their forces1 in order to maintain their ground4 ,taste and fashion1 says ,colley ,cibber1 with us1 have always had wings1 and fly from one public spectacle to another so wantonly1 that ,i have been informed1 by those who remember it1 that a famous puppet-show1 in ,salisbury-change1 then standing where ,cecil-street now is1 so far distressed these two celebrated companies1 that they were reduced to petition the king for relief against it4 ,nor ought we1 perhaps1 to think this strange1 when1 if ,i mistake not1 ,terence himself reproaches the ,roman auditors of his time with the like fondness for the funambuli1 the rope-dancers4 ,not to dwell too long1 therefore1 upon that part of my history1 which ,i have only collected from oral tradition1 ,i shall content myself with telling you1 that ,mohun and ,hart now growing old1 7for above thirty years before this time1 they had severally borne the king's commission of major and captain in the civil wars17 and the younger actors1 as ,goodman1 ,clark1 and others1 being impatient to get into their parts1 and growing intractable1 the audiences too of both houses then falling off1 the patentees of each1 by the king's advice1 7which1 perhaps1 amounted to a command17 united their interests1 and both companies into one1 exclusive of all others1 in the year #afhd4 ,this union was1 however1 so much in favour of the ,duke's company1 that ,hart left the stage upon it1 and ,mohun survived not long after4#chh ,apology1 p4 #eh4 ,it appears1 that the king and queen honoured with their presence the first performance under the union they had recommended4 ,dryden's prologue abounds with those violent expressions of loyalty with which ,james loved to be greeted4 ,since faction ebbs1 and rogues grow out of fashion1 ,their penny scribes take care t' inform the nation1 ,how well men thrive in this or that plantation3#chi ,how ,pennsylvania's air agrees with ,quakers1 ,and ,carolina's with ,associators2 ,both e'en too good for madmen and for traitors4#cij ,truth is1 our land with saints is so run o'er1 ,and every age produces such a store1 ,that now there's need of two ,new ,englands more4 ,what's this1 you'll say1 to us1 and our vocation8 ,only thus much1 that we have left our station1 ,and made this theatre our new plantation4 ,the factious natives never could agree2 ,but aiming1 as they called it1 to be free1 ,those play-house ,whigs set up for property4#cia ,some say1 they no obedience paid of late2 ,but would new tears and jealousies create1 ,till topsy-turvy they had turned the state4 ,plain sense1 without the talent of foretelling1 ,might guess 'twould end in downright knocks and quelling2 ,for seldom comes there better of rebelling4 ,when men will1 needlessly1 their freedom barter ,for lawless power1 sometimes they catch a ,tartar2-- ,there's a damned word that rhimes to this1 called ,charter4#cib ,but1 since the victory with us remains1 ,you shall be called to twelve in all our gains1 ,if you'll not think us saucy for our pains4 ,old men shall have good old plays to delight them2 ,and you1 fair ladies and gallants1 that slight them1 ,we'll treat with good new plays1 if our new wits can write them4 ,we'll take no blundering verse1 no fustain tumor1 ,no dribbling love1 from this or that presumer2 ,no dull fat fool shammed on the stage for humour3#cic ,for1 faith1 some of them such vile stuff have made1 ,as none but fools or fairies ever played2 ,but 'twas1 as shopmen say1 to force a trade4 ,we've given you tragedies1 all sense defying1 ,and singing men1 in woful metre dying2 ,this 'tis when heavy lubbers will be flying4 ,all these disasters we will hope to weather2 ,we bring you none of our old lumber hither2 ,whig poets and ,whig sheriffs#cid may hang together4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #chh3 ,in this last point ,colley is1 however1 mistaken4 ,see p4 #cbh4 ,footnote #chi3 ,the ,american colonies1 from the time of the first troubles in the reign of ,charles ,i41 continued to be the place of refuge to all who were discontented with the government of the time1 or experienced oppression under it4 ,the settlers did not fail to excite their countrymen to emigration1 by exaggerated accounts of the fertility and advantages of their places of refuge1 which were circulated by the hawkers4 ,footnote #cij3 ,the settlement of ,pennsylvania1 under the famous ,penn1 had just taken place2 and the design of a ,scottish insurrection1 at the time of the ,rye-house plot1 was carried on by ,baillie of ,jerviswood1 under pretence of being agent for some gentlemen of the south of ,scotland1 who proposed to leave their country1 and make a settlement in ,carolina4 ,footnote #cia3 ,this seems to allude to the mutiny of the younger actors against ,hart and ,mohun1 mentioned by ,cibber4 ,the performers were also anxious to emancipate themselves from the thraldom of the patentees1 which they did not accomplish till after the ,revolution4 ,they were emancipated by ,king ,william1 who considered them1 says ,cibber1 as the only subjects he had not yet relieved from arbitrary power4 ,dryden seems to allude to some ineffectual struggles made for this purpose1 which he compares to those of the ,whigs in the latter end of the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,footnote #cib3 ,alluding to the forfeiture of the city charter1 by the process of ,quo ,warranto4 ,footnote #cic3 ,our author1 who writes in all the exultation of triumphant ,toryism1 does not forget to bestow a passing sarcasm upon his political and personal enemy1 ,shadwell4 ,in the observations on ,mac-,flecnoe1 and elsewhere1 we have noticed ,shadwell's affectation of treading in the paths of ,ben ,jonson1 by describing what he calls humours2 a word as great a favourite with the fat bard as with ,corporal ,nym4 ,the following passage in the dedication of ,the ,virtuoso1 may serve to explain what he means by the phrase3 ,i have endeavoured in this play1 at humour1 wit1 and satire1 which are the three things 7however ,i may have fallen short in my attempt7 which your grace has often told me are the life of a comedy4 ,four of the humours are entirely new2 and1 without vanity1 ,i may say ,i never produced a comedy that had not some natural humour in it1 not represented before1 nor1 ,i hope1 ever shall4 ,nor do ,i count those humours which a great many do2 that is to say1 such as consist in using one or two by-words2 or in having a fantastic extravagant dress1 as many pretended humours have2 nor in the affectation of some ,french words1 which several plays have shown us4 ,i say nothing of impossible1 unnatural1 farce fools1 which some intend for comical2 who think it the easiest thing in the world to write a comedy1 and yet will sooner grow rich upon their ill plays than write a good one3 ,nor is downright silly folly a humour1 as some take it to be1 for it is a mere natural imperfection2 and they might as well call it a humour of blindness in a blind man1 or lameness in a lame one2 or as a celebrated ,french farce has the humour of one who speaks very fast1 and of another who speaks very slow3 ,but natural imperfections are not fit subjects for comedy1 since they are not to be laughed at1 but pitied4 ,but the artificial folly of those who are not coxcombs by nature1 but1 with great art and industry1 make themselves so1 is a proper object of comedy2 as ,i have discoursed at large in the ,preface to ,the ,humourists1 written five years since4 ,those slight circumstantial things1 mentioned before1 are not enough to make a good comical humour2 which ought to be such an affectation as misguides men in knowledge1 art1 or science2 or that causes defection in manners and morality1 or perverts their minds in the main actions of their lives3 ,and this kind of humour1 ,i think1 ,i have not improperly described in the ,epilogue to ,the ,humourists4 ,but your grace understands humour too well not to know this1 and much more than ,i can say of it4 ,all ,i have now to do1 is1 humbly to dedicate this play to your grace1 which has succeeded beyond my expectation2 and the humours of which have been approved by men of the best sense and learning4 ,nor do ,i hear of any professed enemies to the play1 but some women1 and some men of feminine understandings1 who like slight plays only that represent a little tattle-sort of conversation like their own3 but true humour is not liked or understood by them2 and therefore even my attempt towards it is condemned by them3 but the same people1 to my great comfort1 damn all ,mr ,jonson's plays1 who was incomparably the best dramatic poet that ever was1 or1 ,i believe1 ever will be2 and ,i had rather be author of one scene in his best comedies1 than of any play this age has produced4 ,footnote #cid3 ,this inhuman jest turns on the execution of ,henry ,cornish1 who1 with ,slingsby ,bethel1 was sheriff in #afhj1 and distinguished himself in opposition to the court4--,see ,note on ,absalom and ,achitophel1 ,part ,i4 vol4 ix4 p4 #bhj4 ,he was condemned as accessary to the ,rye-house plot1 and executed accordingly on #bc;d ,october1 #afhe2 probably a short time before this prologue was spoken1 which might be in ,january #afhf4 ,,epilogue ,,on ,,the ,,same ,,occasion4 ,new ministers1 when first they get in place1 ,must have a care to please2 and that's our case3 ,some laws for public welfare we design1 ,if you1 the power supreme1 will please to join4 ,there are a sort of prattlers in the pit1 ,who either have1 or who pretend to wit2 ,these noisy sirs so loud their parts rehearse1 ,that oft the play is silenced by the farce4 ,let such be dumb1 this penalty to shun1 ,each to be thought my lady's eldest son4 ,but stay2 methinks some vizard mask ,i see1 ,cast out her lure from the mid gallery3 ,about her all the fluttering sparks are ranged2 ,the noise continues1 though the scene is changed3 ,now growling1 sputtering1 wauling1 such a clutter6 ',tis just like puss defendant in a gutter3 ,fine love1 no doubt2 but ere two days are o'er ye1 ,the surgeon will be told a woful story4 ,let vizard mask her naked face expose1 ,on pain of being thought to want a nose3 ,then for your lacqueys1 and your train beside1 ,by whate'er name or title dignified1 ,they roar so loud1 you'd think behind the stairs ,tom ,dove1#cie and all the brotherhood of bears3 ,they're grown a nuisance1 beyond all disasters2 ,we've none so great but--their unpaying masters4 ,we beg you1 ,sirs1 to beg your men1 that they ,would please to give you leave to hear the play4 ,next1 in the play-house1 spare your precious lives2 ,think1 like good ,christians1 on your bearns and wives3 ,think on your souls2 but1 by your lugging forth1#cif ,it seems you know how little they are worth4 ,if none of these will move the warlike mind1 ,think on the helpless whore you leave behind4 ,we beg you1 last1 our scene-room to forbear1 ,and leave our goods and chattels to our care4 ,alas6 our women are but washy toys1 ,and wholly taken up in stage employs3 ,poor willing tits they are2 but yet1 ,i doubt1 ,this double duty soon will wear them out4 ,then you are watched besides with jealous care2 ,what if my lady's page should find you there8 ,my lady knows t' a tittle what there's in ye2 ,no passing your gilt shilling for a guinea4 ,thus1 gentlemen1 we have summed up in short ,our grievances1 from country1 town1 and court3 ,which humbly we submit to your good pleasure2 ,but first vote money1 then redress at leisure4#cig ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cie3 ,a ,bear so called1 which was a favourite with the courtly audience of the ,bear ,garden4 ,footnote #cif3 ,see ,note1 p4 #bcg4 ,footnote #cig3 ,this was the course which ,charles usually recommended to ,parliament1 who generally followed that which was precisely opposite4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,princess ,,of ,,cleves4 ,,by ,,mr ,n4 ,,lee1 #afhi4 ,this play is one of the coarsest which ever appeared upon the stage4 ,the author himself seems to be ashamed of it1 and gives1 for the profligacy of his hero1 the ,duke of ,nemours1 the odd reason of a former play on the subject of the ,paris massacre having been prohibited1 at the request1 ,i believe1 of the ,french ambassador4 ,see ,vol4 ,,vii4 p4 #ahh4 ,ladies6 7,i hope there's none behind to hear7 ,i long to whisper something in your ear3 ,a secret1 which does much my mind perplex1-- ,there's treason in the play against our sex4 ,a man that's false to love1 that vows and cheats1 ,and kisses every living thing he meets2 ,a rogue in mode1--,i dare not speak too broad1-- ,one that--does something to the very bawd4 ,out on him1 traitor1 for a filthy beast6 ,nay1 and he's like the pack of all the rest3 ,none of them stick at mark2 they all deceive4 ,some ,jew has changed the text1 ,i half believe2 ,there ,adam cozened our poor grandame ,eve4 ,to hide their faults they rap out oaths1 and tear2 ,now1 though we lie1 we're too well-bred to swear4 ,so we compound for half the sin we owe1 ,but men are dipt for soul and body too2 ,and1 when found out1 excuse themselves1 pox cant them1 ,with ,latin stuff1 ,perjuria ridet ,amantm4 ,i'm not book-learned1 to know that word in vogue1 ,but ,i suspect 'tis ,latin for a rogue4 ,i'm sure1 ,i never heard that screech-owl hollowed ,in my poor ears1 but separation followed4 ,how can such perjured villains e'er be saved8 ,achitophel's not half so false to ,david4#cih ,with vows and soft expressions to allure1 ,they stand1 like foremen of a shop1 demure3 ,no sooner out of sight1 but they are gadding1 ,and for the next new face ride out a padding4 ,yet1 by their favour1 when they have been kissing1 ,we can perceive the ready money missing4 ,well6 we may rail2 but 'tis as good e'en wink2 ,something we find1 and something they will sink4 ,but1 since they're at renouncing1 'tis our parts ,to trump their diamonds1 as they trump our hearts4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cih3 ,alluding to ,shaftesbury and ,charles ,,ii4 in his own admirable satire4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,the ,,same4 ,a qualm of conscience brings me back again1 ,to make amends to you bespattered men4 ,we women love like cats1 that hide their joys1 ,by growling1 squalling1 and a hideous noise4 ,i railed at wild young sparks2 but1 without lying1 ,never was man worse thought on for high-flying4 ,the prodigal of love gives each her part1 ,and1 squandering1 shows at least a noble heart4 ,i've heard of men1 who1 in some lewd lampoon1 ,have hired a friend to make their valour known4 ,that accusation straight this question brings1-- ,what is the man that does such naughty things8 ,the spaniel lover1 like a sneaking fop1 ,lies at our feet3--he's scarce worth taking up4 ',tis true1 such heroes in a play go far2 ,but chamber-practice is not like the bar4 ,when men such vile1 such faint petitions make1 ,we fear to give1 because they fear to take2 ,since modesty's the virtue of our kind1 ,pray let it be to our own sex confined4 ,when men usurp it from the female nation1 ',tis but a work of supererogation4 ,we shewed a princess in the play1 'tis true1 ,who gave her ,csar#cii more than all his due2 ,told her own faults2 but ,i should much abhor ,to choose a husband for my confessor4 ,you see what fate followed the saint-like fool1 ,for telling tales from out the nuptial school4 ,our play a merry comedy had proved1 ,had she confessed so much to him she loved4 ,true ,presbyterian wives the means would try2 ,but damned confessing is flat ,popery4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cii3 ,the ,princess of ,cleves1 in the play1 confesses to her husband her love for ,nemours4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,arviragus ,,and ,,philicia4 ,,by ,,lodowick ,,carlell1 ,,esq4 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mr ,,hart4 ,lodowick ,carlell1 according to ,langbaine1 was an ancient courtier1 being gentleman of the bows to ,king ,charles ,i41 groom of the king and queen's privy chamber1 and servant to the queen-mother many years4 ,his plays1 the same author adds1 were well esteemed of1 and acted chiefly at the private house in ,blackfriars4 ,they were seven in number4 ,arviragus and ,philicia consisted of two parts1 and was first printed in #hvo1 #afci4 ,the prologue1 which was spoken upon the revival of the piece1 turns upon the caprice of the town1 in preferring1 to the plays of their own poets1 the performances of a troop of ,french comedians1 who1 it seems1 were then acting both tragedies and comedies in their own language4 ,with sickly actors1 and an old house too1 ,we're matched with glorious theatres1 and new2 ,and with our alehouse scenes1 and clothes bare worn1 ,can neither raise old plays1 nor new adorn4 ,if all these ills could not undo us quite1 ,a brisk ,french troop is grown your dear delight2 ,who with broad bloody bills call you each day1 ,to laugh and break your buttons at their play2 ,or see some serious piece1 which1 we presume1 ,is fallen from some incomparable plume2 ,and therefore1 ,messieurs1 if you'll do us grace1 ,send lacquies early to preserve your place4 ,we dare not on your privilege intrench1 ,or ask you1 why you like them8--they are ,french4 ,therefore1 some go with courtesy exceeding1 ,neither to hear nor see1 but show their breeding2 ,each lady striving to outlaugh the rest1 ,to make it seem they understood the jest4 ,their countrymen come in1 and nothing pay1 ,to teach us ,english were to clap the play3 ,civil1 egad6 our hospitable land ,bears all the charge for them to understand3 ,mean time we languish1 and neglected lie1 ,like wives1 while you keep better company2 ,and wish for your own sakes1 without a satire1 ,you'd less good breeding1 or had more good nature4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,prophetess4 ,,by ,,beaumont ,,and ,,fletcher4 ,,revived ,by ,,dryden4 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mr ,,betterton4 ,the ,prophetess of ,beaumont and ,fletcher1 even in its original state1 required a good deal of machinery2 for it contains stage directions for thunder-bolts brandished from on high1 and for a chariot drawn through mid air by flying dragons2 but it was now altered into an opera1 with the addition of songs and scenical decorations1 by ,betterton1 in #afij4 ,our author wrote the following prologue1 to introduce it upon the stage in its altered state4 ,the music was by ,henry ,purcell1 and is said to have merited applause4 ,rich1 whose attachment to scenery and decoration is ridiculed by ,pope1 revived this piece1 and piqued himself particularly upon a set of dancing chairs1 which he devised for the nonce4 ,the prologue gave offence to the court1 and was prohibited by the ,earl of ,dorset1 ,lord ,chamberlain1 after the first day's representation4 ,it contains1 ,cibber remarks1 some familiar metaphorical sneers at the ,revolution itself2 and as the poetry is good1 the offence was less pardonable4 ,king ,william was at this time prosecuting his campaigns in ,ireland2 and the author not only ridicules the warfare in which he was engaged1 and the ,english volunteers who attended him1 but even the government of ,queen ,mary in his absence4 ,what ,nostradame1 with all his art1 can guess ,the fate of our approaching ,prophetess8 ,a play1 which1 like a perspective set right1 ,presents our vast expences close to sight2 ,but turn the tube1 and there we sadly view ,our distant gains1 and those uncertain too2 ,a sweeping tax1 which on ourselves we raise1 ,and all1 like you1 in hopes of better days4 ,when will our losses warn us to be wise8 ,our wealth decreases1 and our charges rise4 ,money1 the sweet allurer of our hopes1 ,ebbs out in oceans1 and comes in by drops4 ,we raise new objects to provoke delight1 ,but you grow sated ere the second sight4 ,false men1 even so you serve your mistresses2 ,they rise three stories in their towering dress2 ,and1 after all1 you love not long enough ,to pay the rigging1 ere you leave them off4 ,never content with what you had before1 ,but true to change1 and ,englishmen all o'er4 ,now honour calls you hence2 and all your care ,is to provide the horrid pomp of war4 ,in plume and scarf1 jack-boots1 and ,bilbo blade1 ,your silver goes1 that should support our trade4 ,go1 unkind heroes6 leave our stage to mourn1 ,till rich from vanquished rebels you return2 ,and the fat spoils of ,teague in triumph draw1 ,his firkin butter1 and his usquebaugh4 ,go1 conquerors of your male and female foes2 ,men without hearts1 and women without hose4 ,each bring his love a ,bogland captive home2 ,such proper pages will long trains become2 ,with copper collars1 and with brawny backs1 ,quite to put down the fashion of our blacks4#djj ,then shall the pious ,muses pay their vows1 ,and furnish all their laurels for your brows2 ,their tuneful voice shall raise for your delights2 ,we want not poets fit to sing your flights4 ,but you1 bright beauties1 for whose only sake ,those doughty knights such dangers undertake1 ,when they with happy gales are gone away1 ,with your propitious presence grace our play1 ,and with a sigh their empty seats survey2 ,then think1--,on that bare bench my servant sat6 ,i see him ogle still1 and hear him chat2 ,selling facetious bargains1 and propounding ,that witty recreation1 called dum-founding4#dja-- ,their loss with patience we will try to bear1 ,and would do more1 to see you often here2 ,that our dead stage1 revived by your fair eyes1 ,under a female regency may rise4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #djj3 ,it was the fashion1 at this time1 to have black boys in attendance1 decorated with silver collars4 ,see the following advertisement3 ,a black boy1 about fifteen years of age1 named ,john ,white1 ran away from ,colonel ,kirke1 the #aeth inst42 he has a silver collar about his neck1 upon which is the ,colonel's arms and cipher4 ,gazette1 ,march #ahth1 #afhe4 ,footnote #dja3 ,selling bargains1 a species of wit common1 according to ,swift1 among ,queen ,anne's maids of honour1 consisted in leading some innocent soul to ask a question1 which was answered by the bargain-seller's naming his1 or her1 sitting part1 by its broadest appellation4 ,dum-founding is explained by a stage direction in ,bury-fair1 where ,sir ,humphrey dum-founds the ,count with a rap betwixt the shoulders4 ,the humour seems to have consisted in doing this with such dexterity1 that the party dum-founded should be unable to discover to whom he was indebted for the favour4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,the ,,mistakes4 ,this play was brought forward by ,joseph ,harris1 a comedian1 as his own1 although it is said to have been chiefly written by another person4 ,it was acted in #afij4 ,enter ,,mr ,,bright4 ,gentlemen1 we must beg your pardon2 here's no prologue to be had to-day4 ,our new play is like to come on1 without a frontispiece2 as bald as one of you young beaux without your periwig4 ,i left our young poet1 snivelling and sobbing behind the scenes1 and cursing somebody that has deceived him4 ,enter ,,mr ,,bowen4 ,hold your prating to the audience2 here's honest ,mr ,williams just come in1 half mellow1 from the ,rose-,tavern4#djb ,he swears he is inspired with claret1 and will come on1 and that extempore too1 either with a prologue of his own1 or something like one4 ,o here he comes to his trial1 at all adventures2 for my part1 ,i wish him a good deliverance4 ,exeunt ,mr ,,bright and ,mr ,,bowen4 ,enter ,mr ,,williams4 ,save ye1 sirs1 save ye6 ,i am in a hopeful way4 ,i should speak something1 in rhyme1 now1 for the play ,but the deuce take me1 if ,i know what to say4 ,i'll stick to my friend the author1 that ,i can tell ye1 ,to the last drop of claret in my belly4 ,so far ,i'm sure 'tis rhyme--that needs no granting2 ,and1 if my verses' feet stumble--you see my own are wanting4 ,our young poet has brought a piece of work1 ,in which though much of art there does not lurk1 ,it may hold out three days--and that's as long as ,cork4#djc ,but1 for this play--7which till ,i have done1 we show not7 ,what may be its fortune--by the ,lord--,i know not4 ,this ,i dare swear1 no malice here is writ2 ',tis innocent of all things----even of wit4 ,he's no high-flyer----he makes no sky-rockets1 ,his squibs are only levelled at your pockets2 ,and if his crackers light among your pelf1 ,you are blown up2 if not1 then he's blown up himself4 ,by this time1 ,i'm something recovered of my flustered madness2 ,and now1 a word or two in sober sadness4 ,ours is a common play2 and you pay down ,a common harlot's price--just half a crown4 ,you'll say1 ,i play the pimp1 on my friend's score2 ,but since 'tis for a friend your gibes give o'er1 ,for many a mother has done that before4 ,how's this8 you cry3 an actor write8--we know it2 ,but ,shakespeare was an actor1 and a poet4 ,has not great ,jonson's learning often failed8 ,but ,shakespeare's greater genius still prevailed4 ,have not some writing actors1 in this age1 ,deserved and found success upon the stage8 ,to tell the truth1 when our old wits are tired1 ,not one of us but means to be inspired4 ,let your kind presence grace our homely cheer2 ,peace and the butt#djd is all our business here2 ,so much for that--and the devil take small beer4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #djb3 ,this was quite in character4 ,cibber says of ,williams1 that his industry was not equal to his capacity1 for he loved his bottle better than his business4 ,apology1 p4 #aae4 ,footnote #djc3 ,the taking of ,cork was one of the first exploits of the renowned ,marlborough4 ,the besieging army was disembarked on the #bc;d ,september1 #afij1 and the garrison1 amounting to four thousand men1 surrendered on the #bhth of the same month4 ,footnote #djd3 ,a phrase in the ,tempest as altered by ,dryden1 which seems to have become proverbial4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,henry ,,ii4 ,,by ,,john ,,bancroft1 ,,and ,,published ,,by ,,mr ,,mountfort1 #afic4 ,,spoken ,,by ,,mrs ,,bracegirdle4 ,this play is founded on the amours of ,henry ,,ii4 and the death of fair ,rosamond4 ,john ,bancroft1 the author1 was a surgeon1 and wrote another play called ,sertorius4 ,he gave both the reputation and the profits of ,henry ,,ii4 to ,mountfort1 the comedian2 and probably made him no great compliment in the former particular1 though1 as the piece was well received1 the latter might be of some consequence4 ,mountfort was an actor of great eminence4 ,cibber says1 that he was the most affecting lover within his memory4 ,thus you the sad catastrophe have seen1 ,occasioned by a mistress and a queen4 ,queen ,eleanor the proud was ,french1 they say2 ,but ,english manufacture got the day4 ,jane ,clifford was her name1 as books aver2 ,fair ,rosamond was but her nom de guerre4 ,now tell me1 gallants1 would you lead your life ,with such a mistress1 or with such a wife8 ,if one must be your choice1 which d'ye approve1 ,the curtain lecture1 or the curtain love8 ,would ye be godly with perpetual strife1 ,still drudging on with homely ,joan1 your wife ,or take your pleasure in a wicked way1 ,like honest whoring ,harry in the play8 ,i guess your minds2 the mistress would be taken1 ,and nauseous matrimony sent a packing4 ,the devil's in you all2 mankind's a rogue2 ,you love the bride1 but you detest the clog4 ,after a year1 poor spouse is left i'the lurch1 ,and you1 like ,haynes1#dje return to mother-church4 ,or1 if the name of ,church comes cross your mind1 ,chapels-of-ease behind our scenes you find4 ,the playhouse is a kind of market-place2 ,one chaffers for a voice1 another for a face2 ,nay1 some of you1--,i dare not say how many1-- ,would buy of me a pen'worth for your penny4 ,e'en this poor face1 which with my fan ,i hide1 ,would make a shift my portion to provide1 ,with some small perquisites ,i have beside4 ,though for your love1 perhaps1 ,i should not care1 ,i could not hate a man that bids me fair4 ,what might ensue1 'tis hard for me to tell2 ,but ,i was drenched to-day for loving well1 ,and fear the poison that would make me swell4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #dje3 ,the facetious ,joe ,haynes became a ,catholic in the latter part of ,james the ,second's reign4 ,but after the ,revolution1 he read his recantation of the errors of ,rome in a penitentiary prologue1 which he delivered in a suit of mourning4 ,a ,,prologue4 ,gallants1 a bashful poet bids me say1 ,he's come to lose his maidenhead to-day4 ,be not too fierce2 for he's but green of age1 ,and ne'er1 till now1 debauched upon the stage4 ,he wants the suffering part of resolution1 ,and comes with blushes to his execution4 ,ere you deflower his ,muse1 he hopes the pit ,will make some settlement upon his wit4 ,promise him well1 before the play begin2 ,for he would fain be cozened into sin4 ',tis not but that he knows you mean to fail2 ,but1 if you leave him after being frail1 ,he'll have1 at least1 a fair pretence to rail2 ,to call you base1 and swear you used him ill1 ,and put you in the new ,deserters' bill4 ,lord1 what a troop of perjured men we see2 ,enow to fill another ,mercury6 ,but this the ladies may with patience brook2 ,theirs are not the first colours you forsook4 ,he would be loth the beauties to offend2 ,but1 if he should1 he's not too old to mend4 ,he's a young plant1 in his first year of bearing2 ,but his friend swears1 he will be worth the rearing4 ,his gloss is still upon him2 though 'tis true ,he's yet unripe1 yet take him for the blue4 ,you think an apricot half green is best2 ,there's sweet and sour1 and one side good at least4 ,mangos and limes1 whose nourishment is little1 ,though not for food1 are yet preserved for pickle4 ,so this green writer may pretend1 at least1 ,to whet your stomachs for a better feast4 ,he makes this difference in the sexes too2 ,he sells to men1 he gives himself to you4 ,to both he would contribute some delight2 ,a meer poetical hermaphrodite4 ,thus he's equipped1 both to be wooed1 and woo2 ,with arms offensive1 and defensive too2 ',tis hard1 he thinks1 if neither part will do4 ,,prologue ,,to ,,albumazar4 ,the old ,play1 to which this prologue was prefixed upon its revival1 was originally acted in #afcd1 three or four years after the appearance of ,jonson's ,alchemist2 to which1 therefore1 it could not possibly afford any hint4 ,dryden1 observing the resemblance between the plays1 took the plagiarism for granted1 because the style of ,albumazar is certainly the most antiquated4 ,this appearance of antiquity is1 however1 only a consequence of the vein of pedantry which runs through the whole piece4 ,it was written by ---- ,tomkins1 a scholar of ,trinity ,college1 and acted before ,king ,james ,,vi4 by the gentlemen of that house1 #ith ,march1 #afad4 ,it is1 upon the whole1 a very excellent play2 yet the author1 whether consulting his own taste1 or that of our ,british ,solomon1 before whom it was to be represented1 has contrived to give it an air of such learned stiffness1 that it much more resembles the translation of a play from ,terence or ,plautus1 than an original ,english composition4 ,by this pedantic affectation1 the humour of the play is completely smothered2 and although there are several very excellent comic situations in the action1 yet neither the attempt to revive it in ,dryden's time1 nor those which followed in #agdh and #aggc1 met with any success4 ,as ,dryden had imputed1 very rashly1 however1 and groundlessly1 the guilt of plagiarism to ,jonson1 he made this supposed crime the introduction to a similar slur on ,shadwell1 who at that time seems to have been possessed of the laurel2 a circumstance which ascertains the date of the prologue to be posterior to the ,revolution4 ,to say this comedy pleased long ago1 ,is not enough to make it pass you now4 ,yet1 gentlemen1 your ancestors had wit1 ,when few men censured1 and when fewer writ4 ,and ,jonson1 of those few the best1 chose this1 ,as the best model of his master-piece3 ,subtle was got by our ,albumazar1 ,that ,alchymist by this ,astrologer2 ,here he was fashioned1 and we may suppose1 ,he liked the fashion well1 who wore the clothes4 ,but ,ben made nobly his what he did mould2 ,what was another's lead1 becomes his gold3 ,like an unrighteous conqueror he reigns1 ,yet rules that well1 which he unjustly gains4 ,but this our age such authors does afford1 ,as make whole plays1 and yet scarce write one word2 ,who1 in this anarchy of wit1 rob all1 ,and what's their plunder1 their possession call2 ,who1 like bold padders1 scorn by night to prey1 ,but rob by sun-shine1 in the face of day3 ,nay1 scarce the common ceremony use ,of1 ,stand1 ,sir1 and deliver up your ,muse2 ,but knock the poet down1 and1 with a grace1 ,mount ,pegasus before the owner's face4 ,faith1 if you have such country ,toms abroad1#djf ',tis time for all true men to leave that road4 ,yet it were modest1 could it but be said1 ,they strip the living1 but these rob the dead2 ,dare with the mummies of the ,muses play1 ,and make love to them the ,egyptian way2 ,or1 as a rhiming author would have said1 ,join the dead living to the living dead4 ,such men in poetry may claim some part1 ,they have the license1 though they want the art2 ,and might1 where theft was praised1 for laureats stand2#djg ,poets1 not of the head1 but of the hand4 ,they make the benefits of others studying1 ,much like the meals of politic ,jack-,pudding1 ,whose dish to challenge no man has the courage2 ',tis all his own1 when once he has spit i'the porridge4 ,but1 gentlemen1 you're all concerned in this2 ,you are in fault for what they do amiss2 ,for they their thefts still undiscovered think1 ,and durst not steal1 unless you please to wink4 ,perhaps1 you may award by your decree1 ,they should refund1--but that can never be2 ,for1 should you letters of reprisal seal1 ,these men write that which no man else would steal4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #djf3 ,this seems to have been a cant name for highwaymen4 ,shadwell's christian name was ,thomas4 ,footnote #djg3 ,shadwell succeeded to our author's post of laureat1 after the ,revolution4 ,i am not able to discover1 if ,shadwell had given any very recent cause for this charge of plagiarism4 ,in the ,libertine1 ,the ,miser1 ,bury-fair1 and ,the ,sullen ,lovers1 he has borrowed1 or rather translated1 from ,moliere4 ,the ,squire of ,alsatia contains some imitations of ,terence's ,adelphi4 ,psyche is taken from the ,french1 and ,timon of ,athens from ,shakespeare1 although ,shadwell has the assurance to claim the merit of having made it into a play4 ,he was also under obligations to his contemporaries4 ,the ,royal ,shepherdess was originally written by one ,mr ,fountain of ,devonshire4 ,dryden1 in ,mac-,flecnoe1 intimates1 that ,sedley larded with wit his play of ,epsom ,wells2 and in the ,dedication to the ,true ,widow1 ,shadwell himself acknowledges obligations to that gentleman's revision of some of his pieces4 ,langbaine1 who hated ,dryden1 and professed an esteem for ,shadwell1 expresses himself thus1 on the latter's claim to originality3 ,but ,i am willing to say the less of ,mr ,shadwell1 because ,i have publicly professed a friendship for him2 and though it be not of so long date as some former intimacy with others1 so neither is it blemished with some unhandsome dealings ,i have met with from persons where ,i least expected it4 ,i shall therefore speak of him with the impartiality that becomes a critic1 and own ,i like his comedies better than ,mr ,dryden's1 as having more variety of characters1 and those drawn from the life2 ,i mean men's converse and manners1 and not from other men's ideas1 copied out of their public writings3 though indeed ,i cannot wholly acquit our present laureat from borrowing2 his plagiaries being in some places too bold and open to be disguised1 of which ,i shall take notice1 as ,i go along2 though with this remark1 that several of them are observed to my hand1 and in great measure excused by himself1 in the public acknowledgment he makes in his several prefaces1 to the persons to whom he was obliged for what he borrowed4 ,shadwell in the following lines1 which occur in the prologue to the ,scowerers1 seems to retort on ,dryden the accusation here brought against him3 ,you have been kind to many of his plays1 ,and should not leave him in his latter days4 ,though loyal writers of the last two reigns1 ,who tired their pens for ,popery and chains1 ,grumble at the reward of all his pains2 ,they would1 like some1 the benefit enjoy ,of what they vilely laboured to destroy4 ,they cry him down as for his place unfit1 ,since they have all the humour and the wit2 ,they must write better e'er he fears them yet4 ',till they have shewn you more variety ,of natural1 unstolen comedy than he1 ,by you at least he should protected be4 ',till then1 may he that mark of bounty have1 ,which his renowned and royal master gave1 ,who loves a subject1 and contemns a slave2 ,whom heaven1 in spite of hellish plots1 designed ,to humble tyrants1 and exalt mankind4 ,,an ,,epilogue4 ,you saw our wife was chaste1 yet throughly tried1 ,and1 without doubt1 you are hugely edified2 ,for1 like our hero1 whom we showed to-day1 ,you think no woman true1 but in a play4 ,love once did make a pretty kind of show2 ,esteem and kindness in one breast would grow2 ,but 'twas heaven knows how many years ago4 ,now some small chat1 and guinea expectation1 ,gets all the pretty creatures in the nation4 ,in comedy your little selves you meet2 ',tis ,covent ,garden drawn in ,bridges-street4 ,smile on our author then1 if he has shown ,a jolly nut-brown bastard of your own4 ,ah6 happy you1 with ease and with delight1 ,who act those follies1 poets toil to write6 ,the sweating ,muse does almost leave the chace2 ,she puffs1 and hardly keeps your ,protean vices pace4 ,pinch you but in one vice1 away you fly ,to some new frisk of contrariety4 ,you roll like snow-balls1 gathering as you run1 ,and get seven devils1 when dispossessed of one4 ,your ,venus once was a ,platonic queen1 ,nothing of love beside the face was seen2 ,but every inch of her you now uncase1 ,and clap a vizard-mask upon the face2 ,for sins like these1 the zealous of the land1 ,with little hair1 and little or no band1 ,declare how circulating pestilences ,watch1 every twenty years1 to snap offences4 ,saturn1 e'en now1 takes doctoral degrees2#djh ,he'll do your work this summer without fees4 ,let all the boxes1 ,phbus1 find thy grace1 ,and1 ah1 preserve the eighteen-penny place6#dji ,but for the pit confounders1 let them go1 ,and find as little mercy as they show6 ,the actors thus1 and thus thy poets pray2 ,for every critic saved1 thou damn'st a play4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #djh3 ,perhaps our author had in view the three oppositions of ,saturn and ,jupiter in ,june and ,december #afib1 and in ,april #afic1 which are thus feelingly descanted upon by ,john ,silvester3 ,it hath been long observed1 that the most remarkable mutations of a kingdom1 or nation1 have chiefly depended on the conjunctions or aspects of those two superior planets1 ,saturn and ,jupiter2 and by their effects past1 we perceive that the most wise ,creator first placed them higher than all the other planets1 that they should respect1 chiefly1 the highest and most durable affairs and concerns of men on earth4 ,and if one opposition of ,saturn and ,jupiter produceth much1 how then can those three oppositions to come do any less than cause some remarkable changes and alterations of laws1 or religious orders1 in ,england's chief and most renowned city8 because ,saturn then will be stronger than ,jupiter1 who also1 at his second opposition1 will be near unto the body of ,mars1 7the planet of war27 and having took possession of religious ,jupiter1 should contend with him1 7with a frowning lofty countenance17 in ,london's ascendant1 from whence ,i fear some religious disturbances1 if not some warlike violence1 by insurrections1 or otherwise1 occasioned by some frowning dissatisfied minds1 which will then happen in some part of ,britain1 or take its beginning there to the purpose in those years4 ,ah poor ,jupiter in ,gemini6 7,london17 ,i fear thou wilt then be so much humbled against thy will1 that thou wilt think thou hast a sufficient occasion to bewail thy condition2 and if so1 ,god will suffer this1 that thou mayest humbly endeavour to forsake thy accustomed sins1 and that thou mayest know power is not in thee to help thyself4 ,but yet ,i think thou wilt then have no need to fear that ,god hath wholly forsaken thee2 for look but a little back unto the years #afhb and #afhc1 where ,jupiter was three times in conjunction with ,saturn1 in a sign of his own triplicity1 and consider1 was not he then stronger than ,saturn1 and hast not thou been victorious ever since1 throughout all those great changes and alterations8 ,and when thou hast thus considered1 perhaps thou wilt believe1 that that which begins well will end well2 and indeed perhaps it may so happen2 but be not too proud of this1 a word is enough to the wise4--,astrological ,observations and ,predictions for the year of our ,lord #afia1 by ,john ,silvester4 ,london1 #afij1 #dto4 ,footnote #dji3 ,the ,gallery4 ,,epilogue ,,to ,,the ,,husband ,,his ,,own ,,cuckold4 ,this play was written by ,john ,dryden1 ,junior1 son to our poet4 ,see the preface among our author's prose works4 ,it was dedicated to ,sir ,robert ,howard1 and acted in #afif4 ,like some raw sophister that mounts the pulpit1 ,so trembles a young poet at a full pit4 ,unused to crowds1 the parson quakes for fear1 ,and wonders how the devil he durst come there2 ,wanting three talents needful for the place1 ,some beard1 some learning1 and some little grace4 ,nor is the puny poet void of care2 ,for authors1 such as our new authors are1 ,have not much learning1 nor much wit to spare2 ,and as for grace1 to tell the truth1 there's scarce one1 ,but has as little as the very parson3 ,both say1 they preach and write for your instruction2 ,but 'tis for a third day1 and for induction4 ,the difference is1 that though you like the play1 ,the poet's gain is ne'er beyond his day2 ,but with the parson 'tis another case1 ,he1 without holiness1 may rise to grace2 ,the poet has one disadvantage more1 ,that if his play be dull1 he's damn'd all o'er1 ,not only a damn'd blockhead1 but damn'd poor4 ,but dulness well becomes the sable garment2 ,i warrant that ne'er spoiled a priest's preferment2 ,wit's not his business1 and as wit now goes1 ,sirs1 'tis not so much yours as you suppose1 ,for you like nothing now but nauseous beaux4 ,you laugh not1 gallants1 as by proof appears1 ,at what his beauship says1 but what he wears2 ,so 'tis your eyes are tickled1 not your ears4 ,the tailor and the furrier find the stuff1 ,the wit lies in the dress1 and monstrous muff4 ,the truth on't is1 the payment of the pit ,is like for like1 clipt money for clipt wit4 ,you cannot from our absent author#daj hope1 ,he should equip the stage with such a fop4 ,fools change in ,england1 and new fools arise2 ,for1 though the immortal species never dies1 ,yet every year new maggots make new flies4 ,but where he lives abroad1 he scarce can find ,one fool1 for million that he left behind4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #daj3 ,young ,dryden was then in ,rome with his brother ,charles1 who was gentleman-usher to the ,pope4 ,,mac-,,flecnoe1 ,a ,,satire ,,against ,,thomas ,,shadwell4 ,,mac-,,flecnoe4 ,the enmity between ,dryden and ,shadwell at first probably only sprung from some of those temporary causes of disgust1 which must frequently divide persons whose lives are spent in a competition for public applause4 ,that they were occasionally upon tolerable terms is certain1 for ,dryden has told us so2 and ,shadwell1 in #afgf1 when expressing his dissent from one of our author's rules of theatrical criticism1 industriously and anxiously qualifies his opinion1 with the highest compliments to our author's genius4#daa ,they had formerly even joined forces1 and called in the aid of another wit1 to overwhelm the reputation of no less a person than ,elkanah ,settle4#dab ,but1 between the politics of the stage and of the nation1 the friendship of these bards1 which probably never had a very solid foundation1 was at length totally overthrown4 ,it is not very easy to discover who struck the first blow2 but it may be suspected1 that ,dryden was displeased to see ,shadwell not only dispute his canons of criticism in print1 but seem to establish himself as an imitator of the old school of dramatic composition1 and particularly of ,jonson1 on whom ,dryden had thrown some censure in his epilogue to ,the ,conquest of ,grenada1 and in the ,defence of these verses4 ,it seems certain1 that the feud had broke out in #afge-f2 for ,shadwell has not only made some invidious allusions to the success of ,aureng-,zebe1 which was represented that season1 but has plainly intimated1 that he needed only a pension to enable him to write as well as ,dryden himself4#dac ,this assault1 however1 seems to have been forgiven2 for ,dryden obliged ,shadwell with an epilogue to the ,true ,widow1 acted in #afgh4 ,but their precarious reconcilement did not long subsist1 when political animosity was added to literary rivalry4 ,shadwell not only wrote the ,lancashire ,witches1 in ridicule of the ,tory party1 but entered into a personal contest with our author on the subject of ,the ,medal1 which he answered by a clumsy1 though venomous1 retort1 called ,the ,medal of ,john ,bayes4 ,in the preface he asserts1 that no one can think ,dryden hardly dealt with1 since he knows1 and so do all his old acquaintance1 that there is not one untrue word spoke of him4 ,neither was this a single offence2 for ,dryden1 in his ,vindication of the ,duke of ,guise1 says1 that ,shadwell has repeatedly called him ,atheist in print4 ,these reiterated insults at length drew down the vengeance of our poet1 who seems to have singled ,shadwell from the herd of those who had libelled him1 to be gibbetted in rhyme while the ,english language shall last4 ,neither was ,dryden satisfied with a single attack upon this obnoxious bard2 but1 having divided his poetical character from that which he held as a political writer1 he discussed the first in the satire which follows1 and the last1 with equal severity1 in the ,second ,part of ,absalom and ,achitophel4 ,these two admirable pieces of satire appeared within less than a month of each other2 and leave it a matter of doubt1 whether the bitter ridicule of the anointed ,prince of ,dulness1 or the sarcastic description of ,og1 the seditious poetaster1 be most cruelly severe4 ,mac-,flecnoe must be allowed to be one of the keenest satires in the ,english language4 ,it is what ,dryden has elsewhere termed a ,varronian satire2#dad that is1 as he seems to use the phrase1 one in which the author is not contented with general sarcasm upon the object of attack1 but where he has woven his piece into a sort of imaginary story1 or scene1 in which he introduces the person1 whom he ridicules1 as a principal actor4 ,the position in which ,dryden has placed ,shadwell is the most mortifying to literary vanity which can possibly be imagined1 and is hardly excelled by the device of ,pope in the ,dunciad1 who has obviously followed the steps of his predecessor4 ,flecnoe1 who seems to have been universally acknowledged as the very lowest of all poetasters1 and whose name had passed into a proverb for doggrel verse and stupid prose1 is represented as devolving upon ,shadwell that pre-eminence over the realms of ,dulness1 which he had himself possessed without a rival4 ,the spot chosen for this devolution of empire is the ,barbican1 an obscure suburb1 in which it would seem that there were temporary theatrical representations of the lowest order1 among other receptacles of vulgar dissipation1 for the amusement of the very lowest of the vulgar4 ,here the ceremony of ,shadwell's coronation is supposed to be performed with an inaugural oration by ,flecnoe1 his predecessor1 in which all his pretensions to wit and to literary fame are sarcastically enumerated and confuted1 by a counter-statement of his claims to distinction by pre-eminent and unrivalled stupidity4 ,in this satire1 the shafts of the poet are directed with an aim acutely malignant4 ,the inference drawn concerning ,shadwell's talents is general and absolute2 but in the proof1 ,dryden appeals with triumph to those parts only of his literary character which are obviously vulnerable4 ,he reckons up among his titles to the throne of ,flecnoe1 his desperate and unsuccessful attempts at lyrical composition1 in the opera of ,psyche2 the clumsy and coarse limning of those whom he designed to figure as fine gentlemen in his comedies2 the false and florid taste of his dedications2 his presumptuous imitation of ,jonson in composition1 and his absurd resemblance to him in person4 ,but the satirist industriously keeps out of view those points1 in which perhaps he internally felt some inferiority to the object of his wrath4 ,he mentions nothing that could recal to the reader's recollection that insight into human life1 that acquaintance with the foibles and absurdities displayed in individual pursuits1 that bold though coarse delineation of character1 which gave fame to ,shadwell's comedies in the last century1 and renders them amusing even at the present day4 ,this discrimination is an excellent proof of the exquisite address with which ,dryden wielded the satirical weapon1 and managed the feelings of his readers4 ,we never find him attempting a desperate or impossible task2 at least in a way which seems1 in the moment of perusal1 desperate or impossible4 ,he never wastes his powder against the impregnable part of a fortress1 but directs all his battery against some weaker spot1 where a breach may be rendered practicable4 ,in short1 by convincing his reader that he is right in the examples which he quotes1 he puts the question at issue upon the ground most disadvantageous for his antagonist1 and renders it very difficult for one who has been proved a dunce in one instance to establish his credit in any other4 ,i have had so frequently to call the attention of my reader to the sonorous and emphatic effect of ,dryden's versification1 that it is almost ridiculous to repeat epithets which apply to every poem which succeeded his ,annus ,mirabilis2 yet ,i cannot but remark1 that the mock heroic may be said to have owed its rise to our author1 and that there is hardly any poem1 before ,mac-,flecnoe1 in which it has been employed with all its qualities of grave and pompous irony1 expressed in solemn and sounding verse4 ,it is no inconsiderable part of the merit of ,mac-,flecnoe1 that it led the way to the ,dunciad3 yet1 while we acknowledge the more copious and variegated flow of ,pope's satire1 we must not forget1 that1 independent of the merit of originality1 always inestimable1 ,dryden's poem claims that of a close and more compact fable1 of a single and undisturbed aim4 ,pope's ridicule and sarcasm is scattered so wide1 and among such a number of authors1 that it resembles small shot discharged at random among a crowd2 while that of ,dryden1 like a single well-directed bullet1 prostrates the individual object against whom it was directed4 ,besides1 the reader is apt to sympathise with the degree of the satirist's provocation1 which1 in ,dryden's case1 cannot be disputed2 whereas ,pope sometimes confounds those1 from whom he had received gross incivility1 with others who had given him no offence1 and with some whose characters were above his accusation4 ,to posterity1 the ,mac-,flecnoe possesses a decided superiority over the ,dunciad1 for a very few facts make us master of the argument2 while that of the latter poem1 excepting the ,sixth ,book1 where the satire is more general1 requires a note at every tenth line to render it even intelligible4 ,mr ,malone has given us the title of the first edition of ,mac-,flecnoe1 which the present ,editor has never seen1 as indeed it is of the last degree of rarity4 ,it was published not by ,tonson1 but by ,d4 ,green1 and entitled1 ,mac-,flecnoe1 or a ,satire on the ,true-blue#dae ,protestant ,poet1 ,t4 ,s42 by the ,author of ,absalom and ,achitophel4 ,it consisted only of one sheet and a half1 and was sold for twopence4 ,the satire was too personal1 and too poignant1 to fail in attracting immediate attention1 and accordingly the poem was quickly sold off4 ,it was not republished until it appeared in ,tonson's first ,miscellany1 in #afhd1 with a few slight alterations1 intended either to point particular verses1 or to correct errors of the press1 or pen4 ,it must have been generally known1 that ,dryden was the author of this satire1 both because it is stated in the title-page to be by the author of ,absalom and ,achitophel1 and because there existed no contemporary poet to whom so masterly a production could have been ascribed1 even with remote probability2 yet ,shadwell1 in his dedication of the tenth satire of ,juvenal1 7a most miserable performance17 says1 that ,dryden1 when he taxed him with being the author1 denied it with all the execrations he could think of2 an accusation which was echoed by ,brown1 though apparently upon the authority of ,shadwell alone4#daf ,from this averment1 which is probably made far too broadly1 we can only infer1 that ,dryden1 like ,swift in the same predicament1 left his adversary to prove what he had no title to call upon him to confess2 for that he seriously meant to disavow a performance1 of which he had from the very beginning sufficiently avouched himself the author1 can hardly be supposed for a moment4 ,it has indeed been noticed1 that our author has omitted this poem1 as well as the ,eulogy on ,cromwell1 in a list of his plays and poems subjoined to one of his plays2 but ,dryden might not think fit to admit a personal1 and what he probably considered as a fugitive satire1 into a formal list of his poetry4 ,we know he entertained a conscious sense of his dignity in this respect2 for1 excepting in a slight and passing sarcasm1 he never deigned to answer any of his literary adversaries1 excepting ,settle and ,shadwell2 and he might possibly think1 on reflection1 that he had done the latter too much honour in making him the subject of a separate and laboured poem4 ,mr ,malone also conceives1 that he might be with-held from inserting this poem in an authoritative list of his works1 by delicacy towards ,dorset1 his recent benefactor1 who had thought ,shadwell worthy of the laurel of which our poet had been divested at the ,revolution4 ,be it as it may1 he was afterwards so far from disowning the poem1 that1 in the ,essay on ,satire1 he gives it1 with ,absalom and ,achitophel1 as instances of his own attempts at the ,varronian satire4 ,the purpose and scope of ,mac-,flecnoe was strangely misconstrued by the object of it1 and by our poet's editors4 ,shadwell took it into his head1 that ,dryden meant seriously to tax him with being an ,irishman2 a charge which he seems more anxious to refute than seems necessary4 ,cibber1 or whoever wrote ,dryden's ,life in the collection bearing his name1 supposes1 that ,flecnoe1 who died in #afgh1 had actually succeeded our author in the office of poet-laureat4 ,derrick1 though he corrects this error1 has fallen into another1 in which he is followed by ,dr ,johnson1 who considers ,mac-,flecnoe as written in express ridicule of ,shadwell's inauguration as court poet4 ,the scarcity of the first edition of ,mac-,flecnoe might have been some excuse for these errors1 had not the piece been printed in the first ,miscellany1 in #afhd1 four years before ,dryden's being deposed1 and ,shadwell succeeding him4 ,certainly the two events tallied strangely2 and the friends of ,shadwell might have considered the substantial office which he gained by the downfall of ,dryden1 as a just compensation for the ludicrous and mock dignity with which his foe had invested him4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #daa3 ,see the whole passage1 ,vol4 ,,vii4 p4 #ada4 note4 ,footnote #dab3 ,see the ,remarks on the ,empress of ,morocco1 written in conjunction by ,dryden1 ,crown1 and ,shadwell4 ,they were printed in #afgd4 ,footnote #dac3 ,these circumstances of offence occur in the prologue1 epilogue1 and preface to the ,virtuoso1 which must have been acted in the same season with ,aureng-,zebe1 as the dedication is dated #bfth ,june1 #afgf4 ,the prologue commences with an irreverend allusion to that play1 and to our author's theatrical engagements3 ,you came with such an eager appetite ,to a late play1 which gave so great delight1 ,our poet fears1 that by so rich a treat ,your palates are become too delicate4 ,yet since you've had rhyme for a relishing bit1 ,to give a better taste to comic wit2 ,but this requires expence of time and pains1 ,too great1 alas6 for poets' slender gains4 ,for wit1 like china1 should long buried lie1 ,before it ripens to good comedy2 ,a thing we ne'er have seen since ,jonson's days1 ,and but a few of his were perfect plays4 ,now drudges of the stage must oft appear1 ,they must be bound to scribble twice a year4 ,that these insinuations might not be mistaken1 ,shadwell1 in the epilogue1 severely attacks rhyming tragedies in general2 the object of which diatribe1 considering the late success of ,aureng-,zebe1 could not possibly be misinterpreted3 ,but of those ladies he despairs to-day1 ,who love a dull romantic whining play2 ,where poor frail woman's made a deity1 ,with senseless amorous idolatry1 ,and snivelling heroes sigh1 and pine1 and cry4 ,though singly they beat armies1 and huff kings1 ,rant at the gods1 and do impossible things2 ,though they can laugh at danger1 blood1 and wounds1 ,yet if the dame once chides1 the milk-sop hero swoons4 ,these doughty things nor manners have nor wit2 ,we ne'er saw hero fit to drink with yet4 ,the passage in the ,dedication1 in which he insinuates that the provision of a pension was all he wanted1 to place him on a level with the proudest of his rivals1 is as follows3 ,that there are a great many faults in the conduct of this play1 ,i am not ignorant2 but ,i 7having no pension but from the theatre1 which is either unwilling1 or unable1 to reward a man sufficiently for so much pains as correct comedies require7 cannot allot my whole time to the writing of plays1 but am forced to mind some other business of advantage4 ,had ,i as much money1 and as much time for it1 ,i might perhaps write as correct a comedy as any of my contemporaries4 ,footnote #dad3 ,see ,essay on ,satire1 ,vol4 ,,xiii4 p4 #fe4 ,footnote #dae3 ,this epithet preceded the nickname of ,whig4 ,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #baa4 ,footnote #daf3 ,i make bold to use his own expression in ,mac-,flecnoe1 if it is his1 ,i say1 for ,mr ,shadwell1 in the preface before his ,translation of the ,tenth ,satire of ,juvenal1 has been lately pleased to acquaint the world1 that he publicly disowned the writing it with as solemn imprecations as his friend the ,spanish ,friar did the ,cavalier ,lorenzo4--,reasons1 c4 ,,mac-,,flecknoe4 ,all human things are subject to decay1 ,and1 when fate summons1 monarchs must obey4 ,this ,flecknoe found1#dag who1 like ,augustus1 young ,was called to empire1 and had governed long2 ,in prose and verse was owned1 without dispute1 ,through all the realms of ,nonsense1 absolute4 ,this aged prince1 now flourishing in peace1 ,and blest with issue of a large increase1 ,worn out with business1 did at length debate ,to settle the succession of the state2 ,and1 pondering which of all his sons was fit ,to reign1 and wage immortal war with wit1 ,cried1--',tis resolved6 for nature pleads1 that he ,should only rule1 who most resembles me4 ,shadwell alone my perfect image bears1 ,mature in dulness from his tender years2#dah ,shadwell alone1 of all my sons1 is he1 ,who stands confirmed in full stupidity4 ,the rest to some faint meaning make pretence1 ,but ,shadwell never deviates into sense2 ,some beams of wit on other souls may fall1 ,strike through1 and make a lucid interval2 ,but ,shadwell's genuine night admits no ray1 ,his rising fogs prevail upon the day4 ,besides1 his goodly fabric fills the eye1 ,and seems designed for thoughtless majesty2 ,thoughtless as monarch oaks1 that shade the plain1 ,and1 spread in solemn state1 supinely reign4 ,heywood and ,shirley#dai were but types of thee1 ,thou last great prophet of tautology6 ,even ,i1 a dunce of more renown than they1 ,was sent before but to prepare thy way2 ,and1 coarsely clad in ,norwich drugget1#dbj came ,to teach the nations in thy greater name4 ,my warbling lute1--the lute ,i whilom strung1 ,when to king ,john of ,portugal ,i sung1-- ,was but the prelude to that glorious day1 ,when thou on silver ,thames didst cut thy way1 ,with well-timed oars1 before the royal barge1#dba ,swelled with the pride of thy celestial charge2 ,and big with hymn1 commander of an host1-- ,the like was ne'er in ,epsom blankets tost4#dbb ,methinks ,i see the new ,arion sail1 ,the lute still trembling underneath thy nail4#dbc ,at thy well-sharpened thumb1 from shore to shore1 ,the trebles squeak for fear1 the basses roar2 ,echoes1 from ,pissing-,alley1 ,shadwell call1 ,and ,shadwell they resound from ,aston-,hall4 ,about thy boat the little fishes throng1 ,as at the morning toast that floats along4 ,sometimes1 as prince of thy harmonious band1 ,thou weild'st thy papers in thy threshing hand2 ,st ,andr's#dbd feet ne'er kept more equal time1 ,not even the feet of thy own ,psyche's rhyme1 ,though they in number as in sense excel2#dbe ,so just1 so like tautology1 they fell1 ,that1 pale with envy1 ,singleton#dbf forswore ,the lute and sword1 which he in triumph bore1 ,and vowed he ne'er would act ,villerius more4-- ,here stopt the good old sire1 and wept for joy1 ,in silent raptures of the hopeful boy4 ,all arguments1 but most his plays1 persuade1 ,that for anointed dulness he was made4 ,close to the walls which fair ,augusta bind1 7,the fair ,augusta much to fears inclined1#dbg7 ,an ancient fabric raised to inform the sight1 ,there stood of yore1 and ,barbican it hight2 ,a watch-tower once1 but now1 so fate ordains1 ,of all the pile an empty name remains2 ,from its old ruins brothel-houses rise1 ,scenes of lewd loves1 and of polluted joys2 ,where their vast courts the mother-strumpets keep1 ,and1 undisturbed by watch1 in silence sleep4#dbh ,near these a nursery erects its head1 ,where queens are formed1 and future heroes bred2 ,where unfledged actors learn to laugh and cry2 ,where infant punks their tender voices try1 ,and little ,maximins the gods defy4 ,great ,fletcher never treads in buskins here1 ,nor greater ,jonson dares in socks appear2 ,but gentle ,simkin#dbi just reception finds ,amidst this monument of vanished minds2 ,pure clinches the suburbian muse affords1 ,and ,panton#dcj waging harmless war with words4 ,here ,flecknoe1 as a place to fame well known1 ,ambitiously designed his ,shadwell's throne4 ,for ancient ,decker#dca prophesied long since1 ,that in this pile should reign a mighty prince1 ,born for a scourge of wit1 and flail of sense2 ,to whom true dulness should some ,psyches owe1 ,but worlds of ,misers from his pen should flow2 ,humorists1 and ,hypocrites1 it should produce1 ,whole ,raymond families1 and tribes of ,bruce4#dcb ,now empress ,fame had published the renown ,of ,shadwell's coronation through the town4 ,roused by report of fame1 the nations meet1 ,from near ,bunhill1 and distant ,watling-street4 ,no ,persian carpets spread the imperial way1 ,but scattered limbs of mangled poets lay2 ,from dusty shops neglected authors come1 ,martyrs of pies1 and relics of the bum2 ,much ,heywood1 ,shirley1 ,ogleby there lay1 ,but loads of ,shadwell almost choked the way2 ,bilked stationers for yeomen stood prepared1 ,and ,herringman#dcc was captain of the guard4 ,the hoary prince in majesty appeared1 ,high on a throne of his own labours reared4 ,at his right hand our young ,ascanius sate1 ,rome's other hope1 and pillar of the state2 ,his brows thick fogs1 instead of glories1 grace1 ,and lambent dulness played around his face4 ,as ,hannibal did to the altars come1 ,swore by his sire1 a mortal foe to ,rome1 ,so ,shadwell swore1 nor should his vow be vain1 ,that he till death true dulness would maintain2 ,and1 in his father's right1 and realm's defence1 ,ne'er to have peace with wit1 nor truce with sense4 ,the king himself the sacred unction made1 ,as king by office1 and as priest by trade4 ,in his sinister hand1 instead of ball1 ,he placed a mighty mug of potent ale2 ,love's kingdom#dcd to his right he did convey1 ,at once his sceptre1 and his rule of sway2 ,whose righteous lore the prince had practised young1 ,and from whose loins recorded ,psyche sprung4 ,his temples1 last1 with poppies were o'erspread1#dce ,that nodding seemed to consecrate his head4 ,just at the point of time1 if fame not lie1 ,on his left hand twelve reverend owls did fly2-- ,so ,romulus1 'tis sung1 by ,tyber's brook1 ,presage of sway from twice six vultures took4 ,the admiring throng loud acclamations make1 ,and omens of his future empire take4 ,the sire then shook the honours of his head1 ,and from his brows damps of oblivion shed ,full on the filial dulness3 long he stood1 ,repelling from his breast the raging god2 ,at length burst out in this prophetic mood3-- ,heavens bless my son6 from ,ireland let him reign1 ,to far ,barbadoes on the western main2 ,of his dominion may no end be known1 ,and greater than his father's be his throne2 ,beyond love's kingdom let him stretch his pen6-- ,he paused1 and all the people cried1 ,amen4-- ,then thus continued he3 ,my son1 advance ,still in new impudence1 new ignorance4 ,success let others teach1 learn thou from me ,pangs without birth1 and fruitless industry4 ,let ,virtuosos in five years be writ1 ,yet not one thought accuse thy toil of wit4#dcf ,let gentle ,george in triumph tread the stage1 ,make ,dorimant betray1 and ,loveit rage2 ,let ,cully1 ,cockwood1 ,fopling1 charm the pit1#dcg ,and in their folly show the writer's wit2 ,yet still thy fools shall stand in thy defence1 ,and justify their author's want of sense4 ,let them be all by thy own model made ,of dulness1 and desire no foreign aid2 ,that they to future ages may be known1 ,not copies drawn1 but issue of thy own3 ,nay1 let thy men of wit too be the same1 ,all full of thee1 and differing but in name2 ,but let no alien ,sedley interpose1 ,to lard with wit thy hungry ,epsom prose4#dch ,and when false flowers of rhetoric thou would'st cull1 ,trust nature2 do not labour to be dull1 ,but write thy best1 and top2 and1 in each line1 ,sir ,formal's oratory will be thine3 ,sir ,formal1 though unsought1 attends thy quill1 ,and does thy northern dedications fill4#dci ,nor let false friends seduce thy mind to fame1 ,by arrogating ,jonson's hostile name2#ddj ,let father ,flecknoe fire thy mind with praise1 ,and uncle ,ogleby thy envy raise4 ,thou art my blood1 where ,jonson has no part3 ,what share have we in nature1 or in art8 ,where did his wit on learning fix a brand1 ,and rail at arts he did not understand8 ,where made he love in ,prince ,nicander's vein1 ,or swept the dust in ,psyche's humble strain8 ,where sold he bargains1 whip-stitch1 kiss my arse1#dda ,promised a play1 and dwindled to a farce8 ,when did his muse from ,fletcher scenes purloin1 ,as thou whole ,etheridge dost transfuse to thine8 ,but so transfused1 as oil and waters flow1 ,his always floats above1 thine sinks below4 ,this is thy province1 this thy wonderous way1 ,new humours to invent for each new play3#ddb ,this is that boasted bias of thy mind1 ,by which one way to dulness 'tis inclined2 ,which makes thy writings lean on one side still1 ,and1 in all changes1 that way bends thy will4 ,nor let thy mountain-belly make pretence ,of likeness2 thine's a tympany of sense4 ,a tun of man in thy large bulk is writ1 ,but sure thou'rt but a kilderkin of wit4 ,like mine1 thy gentle numbers feebly creep2 ,thy tragic muse gives smiles1 thy comic sleep4 ,with whate'er gall thou sett'st thyself to write1 ,thy inoffensive satires never bite2 ,in thy felonious heart though venom lies1 ,it does but touch thy ,irish pen1 and dies4 ,thy genius call thee not to purchase fame ,in keen iambics1 but mild anagram4 ,leave writing plays1 and choose for thy command1 ,some peaceful province in ,acrostic land4 ,there thou may'st wings display1 and altars raise1#ddc ,and torture one poor word ten thousand ways2 ,or1 if thou would'st thy different talents suit1 ,set thy own songs1 and sing them to thy lute4-- ,he said3--but his last words were scarcely heard2 ,for ,bruce and ,longvil had a trap prepared1 ,and down they sent the yet declaiming bard4#ddd ,sinking he left his drugget robe behind1 ,borne upwards by a subterranean wind4 ,the mantle fell to the young prophet's part1 ,with double portion of his father's art4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #dag3 ,note ,i4 ,footnote #dah3 ,note ,,ii4 ,footnote #dai3 ,note ,,iii4 ,footnote #dbj3 ,note ,,iv4 ,footnote #dba3 ,note ,v4 ,footnote #dbb3 ,note ,,vi4 ,footnote #dbc3 ,note ,,vii4 ,footnote #dbd3 ,an eminent dancing-master of the period4 ,footnote #dbe3 ,note ,,viii4 ,footnote #dbf3 ,note ,,ix4 ,footnote #dbg3 ,alluding to the political apprehensions of the period1 so universal in the city4 ,footnote #dbh3 ,these lines are a parody on a passage in ,cowley's ,davideis1 ,book ,i43 ,beneath the dens where unfledged tempests lie1 ,and infant winds their tender voices cry2 99 99 99 99 99 ,where their vast court the mother waters keep2 ,and1 undisturbed by moons1 in silence sleep4 ,footnote #dbi3 ,the character of a cobler in an interlude4 ,footnote #dcj3 ,a celebrated punster1 according to ,derrick4 ,footnote #dca3 ,note ,x4 ,footnote #dcb3 ,note ,,xi4 ,footnote #dcc3 ,henry ,herringman1 bookseller1 published almost all the poems1 plays1 and lighter pieces of the day4 ,he was ,dryden's original publisher4 ,footnote #dcd3 ,a play of ,flecknoe's so called4 ,see ,note ,,xii4 ,footnote #dce3 ,perhaps in allusion to ,shadwell's frequent use of opium1 as well as to his dulness4 ,footnote #dcf3 ,note ,,xiii4 ,footnote #dcg3 ,note ,,xiv4 ,footnote #dch3 ,note ,,xv4 ,footnote #dci3 ,note ,,xvi4 ,footnote #ddj3 ,note ,,xvii4 ,footnote #dda3 ,this elegant phrase is the current catch-word of ,sir ,samuel ,hearty in the ,virtuoso1 described in the dramatis person as a brisk1 amorous1 adventurous1 unfortunate coxcomb2 one that1 by the help of humorous1 nonsensical bye-words1 takes himself to be a great wit4 ,footnote #ddb3 ,alluding1 probably1 to the following vaunt of ,shadwell1 in the ,dedication to the ,virtuoso3 ,four of the humours are entirely new2 and1 without vanity1 ,i may say1 ,i ne'er produced a comedy that had not some natural humour in it not represented before1 and ,i hope ,i never shall4 ,footnote #ddc3 ,note ,,xviii4 ,footnote #ddd3 ,bruce and ,longvil are fine gentlemen in ,shadwell's comedy of the ,virtuoso2 who1 during a florid speech of ,sir ,formal ,trifle1 contrive to get rid of the orator1 by letting go a trap-door1 upon which he had placed himself during his declamation4 ,,notes ,,on ,,mac-,,flecknoe4 ,note ,i4 ,this ,flecknoe found4--,p4 #dcc4 ,richard ,flecknoe1 the unfortunate bard whom our author has damned to everlasting fame1 was by birth an ,irishman1 and by profession a ,roman ,catholic priest4 ,marvel1 who seems to have known him at ,rome1 describes his person as meagre in the extreme1 and his itch for scribbling as incessant4 ,the poem1 in which ,marvel depicts him1 is in the old taste of extravagant burlesque1 and the lines are as rugged as ,flecknoe could himself have produced4 ,it contains1 however1 some witty and some humorous description1 and the reader may be pleased to see a specimen3 ,flecknoe1 an ,english ,priest at ,rome4 ,obliged by frequent visits of this man1 ,whom1 as a priest1 poet1 musician1 ,i for some branch of ,melchizedec took1 ,though he derives himself from my ,lord ,brooke1 ,i sought his lodging1 which is at the sign ,of the sad ,pelican1 subject divine ,for poetry4 ,there1 three stair-cases high1 ,which signifies his triple property1 ,i found at last a chamber1 as 'twas said1 ,but seemed a coffin set on the stair's head1 ,not higher than seven1 nor larger than three feet2 ,there neither was a ceiling1 nor a sheet1 ,save that the ingenious door did1 as you come1 ,turn in1 and show to wainscot half the room2 ,yet of his state no man could have complained1 ,there being no bed where he entertained2 ,and though within this cell so narrow pent1 ,he'd stanzas for a whole apartement4 99 99 99 99 99 ---- ----,nothing now1 dinner staid1 ,but till he had himself a body made2 ,i mean till he were dressed2 for else1 so thin ,he stands1 as if he only fed had been ,with consecrated wafers2 and the host ,hath sure more flesh and blood than he can boast4 ,this basso-relievo of a man1 ,who1 as a camel tall1 yet easily can ,the needle's eye thread without any stitch2 ,his only impossible is to be rich4 ,lest his too subtle body1 growing rare1 ,should leave his soul to wander in the air1 ,he therefore circumscribes himself in rhymes1 ,and1 swaddled in's own paper seven times1 ,wears a close jacket of poetic buff1 ,with which he doth his third dimension stuff4 ,thus armed underneath1 he over all ,doth make a primitive sotana fall2 ,and over that1 yet casts an antique cloak1 ,worn at the first council of ,antioch1 ,which1 by the ,jews long hid and disesteemed1 ,he heard of by tradition1 and redeemed2 ,but were he not in this black habit decked1 ,this half transparent man would soon reflect ,each colour that he past by1 and be seen ,as the camelion1 yellow1 blue1 or green4 ,it appears that ,flecknoe either laid aside1 or disguised1 his spiritual character1 when he returned to ,england2 but he still preserved extensive connections with the ,roman ,catholic nobility and gentry4#dde ,he probably wrote upon many occasional subjects1 but his poetry has fallen into total oblivion4 ,i have particularly sought in vain for his verses to ,king ,john of ,portugal1 to which ,dryden alludes a little lower4 ,langbaine mentions four of his plays1 namely1 ,damoiselles a la ,mode1 ,erminia1 ,love's ,dominion1 and ,love's ,kingdom1 7of which more hereafter27 but none of these were ever acted1 excepting the last4 ,this gave ,flecknoe great indignation1 which he thus vents against the players in his preface to ,damoiselles a la ,mode4 ,for the acting of this comedy1 those who have the governing of the stage have their humour1 and would be entreated2 and ,i have mine1 and won't entreat them3 and were all dramatic writers of my mind1 they should wear their old plays thread-bare before they should have any new1 till they better understood their own interest1 and how to distinguish betwixt good and bad4 ,notwithstanding this ill usage1 he honoured the players so far1 as to prefix to each character1 in the dramatis person of his pieces1 the name of the actor1 by whom1 had the managers been less inexorable1 he meant it should have been performed4 ,but this he did for the sake of the gentle reader1 whom he assures1 that a lively imagination being thus assisted in bodying forth the character1 he may receive as much pleasure from the perusal as from the actual representation of the performance4 ,flecknoe bore the damnation of the only one of his plays which was represented1 with the same valiant indifference with which he supported the rebuffs of the players4 ,in short1 he seems to have been fitted for an incorrigible scribbler1 by a happy fund of self-satisfaction1 upon which neither the censures of criticism1 nor the united hisses of a whole nation1 could make the slightest impression4 ,when or how ,flecknoe died is uncertain1 and of very little consequence2 ,i presume1 however1 that he was dead when this satire was published4 ,i am uncertain whether the reader will think1 that this poor poetaster merited mercy at the hands of ,dryden1 for the following lines which he had written in his praise1 and which1 at any rate1 may serve as a specimen of ,flecknoe's poetry3 ,dryden1 the muses darling and delight1 ,than whom none ever flew so high a flight3 ,some have their veins so drossy1 as from earth1 ,their muses only seem to have ta'en their birth4 ,other but water-poets are1 have gone ,no farther than to the fount of ,helicon3 ,and they're but airy ones1 whose muse soars up ,no higher than to mount ,parnassus top2 ,whilst thou1 with thine1 dost seem to have mounted higher ,than he who fetch from heaven celestial fire2 ,and dost as far surpass all others1 as ,fire does all other elements surpass4 ,flecknoe's memory being only preserved by this satire1 his very name came to be identified with its title4 ,king1 in ,a ,dialogue in the ,shades1 introduces him under the name of ,mac-,flecknoe2 and ,derrick falls into the same error4 ,note ,,ii4 ,shadwell alone my perfect image bears1 ,mature in dulness from his tender years4--,p4 #dcc4 ,thomas ,shadwell was born at ,santon-hall1 in ,norfolk1 in which county his father represented a very ancient family4 ,he was educated at ,caius ,college1 in ,cambridge1 and placed in the ,middle ,temple to study law2 but1 like many of the inhabitants of these buildings1 he preferred the smoother paths of literature4 ,he made several essays in heroic verse1 all of which are deplorably bad4 ,they are chiefly occasional pieces2 as1 an ,address to the ,prince of ,orange on his ,landing1 another to ,queen ,mary1 and a ,translation of the ,tenth ,satire of ,juvenal2 which1 though prefaced by a violent refutation of our author's attacks upon him1 is so execrable1 as fully to confirm ,dryden's censures of the author's poetical talents4 ,but1 in comedy1 he was much more successful2 and1 in that capacity1 ,dryden does him great injustice in pronouncing him a dunce4 ,on the contrary1 ,i think most of ,shadwell's comedies may be read with great pleasure4 ,they do not1 indeed1 exhibit any brilliancy of wit1 or ingenuity of intrigue2 but the characters are truly dramatic1 original1 and well drawn2 and the picture of manners which they exhibit gives us a lively idea of those of the author's age4 ,as ,shadwell proposed ,jonson for his model1 peculiarity of character1 or what was then technically called humour1 was what he chiefly wished to exhibit2 and in this1 it cannot be denied that he has often succeeded admirably4 ,his powers1 as a dramatist1 are highly rated by ,rochester1 who imputes his coarseness to rapidity of composition3 ,of all our modern wits1 none seem to me ,once to have touched upon true comedy1 ,but hasty ,shadwell and slow ,wycherley4 ,shadwell's unfinished works do yet impart ,great proofs of force of genius1 none of art2 ,with just bold strokes he dashes here and there1 ,showing great mastery with little care2 ,scorning to varnish his good touches o'er1 ,to make the fools and women praise them more4 ,allusion to ,tenth ,satire of ,horace4 ,shadwell's plays are seventeen in number1 and were published1 in four volumes1 under the inspection of his son1 ,sir ,john ,shadwell1 ,m4 ,d4 ,shadwell's life was chequered with misfortune4 ,as he espoused the party of the ,duke of ,monmouth1 to whom he dedicated ,psyche1 and of ,shaftesbury1 he thought himself obliged to draw the quill in defence of their cause4 ,accordingly1 as we have seen1 he attempted to answer ,the ,medal on the one hand1 and1 on the other1 accused our author of intending a parallel between ,monmouth and the ,duke of ,guise1 in the play so entitled4 ,this zeal seems to have cost ,shadwell dear2 for1 besides undergoing the severe flagellations administered by ,dryden1 in the ,defence of the ,duke of ,guise1 in ,absalom and ,achitophel1 and in the present poem1 he complains1 that his ruin was designed1 and his life sought2 and that1 for near ten years1 he was kept from the exercise of that profession which had afforded him a competent subsistence4#ddf ,it is no wonder1 therefore1 he was among the first to hail the dawn of the ,revolution1 by the address already mentioned1 of which the full title is1 ,a ,congratulatory ,poem on his ,highness the ,prince of ,orange his coming into ,england4 ,written by ,t4 ,s4 7,thomas ,shadwell17 a ,true ,lover of his ,country1 7#ajth ,january7 #afhi2 and that ,king ,william distinguished him by the honours of the laurel4 ,dorset1 who was high chamberlain1 answered1 to those who remonstrated on ,shadwell's lack of poetical talent1 that1 without pretending to vouch for ,mr ,shadwell's genius1 he was sure he was an honest man4 ,shadwell did not long enjoy this triumph over his great enemy4 ,he died #aith ,november1 #afib1ddg in the fifty-second year of his age4 ,it is said1 this event was hastened by his taking an over dose of opium1 to the use of which he was inordinately addicted4 ,his death1 says ,dr ,nicholas ,brady1 who preached his funeral sermon1 seized him suddenly2 but he could not be unprepared1 since1 to my certain knowledge1 he never took a dose of opium but he solemnly recommended himself to ,god by prayer4 ,in person1 ,shadwell was large1 corpulent1 and unwieldy2 a circumstance which our author generally keeps in the eye of the reader4 ,he seems to have imitated his prototype1 ,ben ,jonson1 in gross and coarse sensual indulgence1 and profane conversation4 ,but1 if there be truth in a funeral sermon1 he must have corrected these habits before his death2 for ,dr ,brady tells us1 that our author was a man of great honesty and integrity1 and inviolable fidelity and strictness in his word2 an unalterable friendship wherever he professed it2 and however the world may be mistaken in him1 he had a much deeper sense of religion than many who pretended more to it4 ,his natural and acquired abilities1 continues the ,doctor1 made him very amiable to all who knew and conversed with him1 a very few being equal in the becoming qualities which adorn and set off a complete gentleman2 his very enemies1 if he has now any left1 will give him this character1 at least if they knew him so thoroughly as ,i did4--,,cibber',s ,lives of the ,poets1 ,article ,shadwell1 ,vol4 ,,iii4 ,note ,,iii4 ,heywood and ,shirley4--,p4 #dcd4 ,voluminous dramatic authors1 who flourished in the beginning of the #agth century4 ,there were no less than four ,heywoods who wrote plays2 so that1 ,winstanley says1 the name of ,heywood seemed to be destinated to the stage4 ,but he whom ,dryden here means1 is ,thomas ,heywood1 a person rather to be admired for the facility1 than for the excellence of his compositions4 ,every place and situation was alike to him while composing2 and the favourite register of his scenes was the back of a tavern bill4 ,far the greater part of his labours are now lost2 and yet there remain1 in the libraries of the curious1 twenty-four printed plays by ,thomas ,heywood4 ,he was an actor by profession1 and a good scholar1 as is evinced by several of his classical allusions4 ,his plays may be examined with advantage by the antiquary1 but afford slender amusement to the lovers of poetry4 ,the following character of him1 by an old poet1 is preserved by ,langbaine3 ---- ----,heywood sage1 ,the apologetic ,atlas of the stage2 ,well of the golden age he could entreat1 ,but little of the metal he could get4 ,threescore sweet babes be fashioned at a lump1 ,for he was christened in ,parnassus pump1 ,the muses' gossip to ,aurora's bed2 ,and ever since that time his face was red4 ,if we cannot call ,heywood a second ,lope de ,vega1 in point of the extent of his dramatic works1 he overtops most ,english authors2 since he assures us1 in his preface to the ,english ,traveller1 that it was one reserved among two hundred and twenty plays1 in which he had either had a whole hand1 or1 at the least1 a main finger4 ,it is a pity1 as ,johnson said of ,churchill1 so fruitful a tree should have borne only crabs4 ,james ,shirley1 whom our author most unjustly couples with ,heywood1 to whom1 as well as to ,shadwell1 he was greatly superior1 was born in #aeid1 and1 although for some time a schoolmaster1 appears to have lived chiefly by the stage4 ,when the civil wars broke out1 he followed the fortune of ,william1 ,earl of ,newcastle4 ,during the usurpation1 when theatres were prohibited1 he returned to his original profession of a schoolmaster4 ,he died of fatigue and distress of mind during the great fire of ,london1 in #afff4 ,he wrote forty-two plays1 and there are thirty-nine in print2 a complete set of which is much esteemed by collectors4 ,dr ,farmer has traced1 to this neglected bard1 an idea1 which ,milton thought not unworthy of adoption4 ,shirley is spoken of with contempt in ,mac-,flecknoe1 but his imagination is sometimes fine to an extraordinary degree4 ,i recollect a passage in the ,fourth ,book of the ,paradise ,lost1 which hath been suspected of imitation1 as a prettiness below the genius of ,milton3 ,i mean1 where ,uriel glides backward and forward to heaven on a sun-beam4 ,dr ,newton informs us1 that this might possibly be hinted by a picture of ,annabal ,caracci1 in the king of ,france's cabinet2 but ,i am apt to believe1 that ,milton had been struck with a portrait in ,shirley4 ,fernando1 in the comedy of the ,brothers1 #afeb1 describes ,jacinta at vespers3 ,her eye did seem to labour with a tear1 ,which suddenly took birth1 but overweighed ,with its own swelling1 dropped upon her bosom2 ,which1 by reflection of her light1 appeared ,as nature meant her sorrow for an ornament'3 ,after1 her looks grew cheerfull1 and ,i saw ,a smile shoot graceful upward from her eyes1 ,as if they had gained a victory o'er grief2 ,and with it many beams twisted themselves1 ,upon whose golden threads the angels walk ,to and again from heaven4 ,essay on the ,learning of ,shakespeare4 ,note ,,iv4 ,coarsely clad in ,norwich drugget4--,p4 #dcd4 ,this stuff appears to have been sacred to the use of the poorer votaries of ,parnassus2 and it is somewhat odd1 that it seems to have been the dress of our poet himself in the earlier stage of his fortunes4 ,an old gentleman1 who corresponded with the ,gentleman's ,magazine1 says1 he remembers our author in this dress4 ,vol4 ,,xv4 p4 #ii4 ,note ,v4 ,when thou on silver ,thames didst cut thy way1 ,with well-timed oars1 before the royal barge4--,p4 #dcd4 ,i confess myself1 after some research1 at a loss to discover the nature of the procession1 in which ,shadwell seems to have acted as leader of the band4 ,one is at first sight led to consider the whole procession as imaginary1 and preliminary to his supposed coronation2 but1 on closer investigation1 it appears1 that ,flecknoe talks of some real occurrence1 on which ,shadwell preceded the royal barge1 at the head of a boat-load of performers4 ,we may see1 in the seventh note1 that he professed to understand music1 and may certainly have been called upon to assist or direct the band during some entertainment upon the river1 an amusement to which ,king ,charles was particularly addicted4 ,note ,,vi4 ,the like was ne'er in ,epsom blankets tost4--,p4 #dcd4 ,this seems to be in ridicule of the following elegant expression which ,shadwell puts in the mouth of a fine lady3 ,such a fellow as he deserves to be tossed in a blanket4 ,this1 however1 does not occur in ,epsom-,wells1 but in another of ,shadwell's comedies1 called ,the ,sullen ,lovers4 ,note ,,vii4 ,methinks ,i see the new ,arion sail1 ,the lute still trembling underneath thy nail4--,p4 #dcd4 ,shadwell appears to have been a proficient in music1 and to have himself adjusted that of his opera of ,psyche1 which ,dryden here treats with such consummate contempt4 ,indeed1 in the preface of that choice piece he affected to value himself more upon the music than the poetry1 as appears from the following passage in the preface3 ,i had rather be author of one scene of comedy1 like some of ,ben ,jonson's1 than of all the best plays of this kind1 that have been1 or ever shall be written2 good comedy requiring much more wit and judgment in the writer1 than any rhiming1 unnatural plays can do4 ,this ,i have so little valued1 that ,i have not altered six lines in it since it was first written1 which 7except the songs at the marriage of ,psyche1 in the last scene7 was all done sixteen months since4 ,in all the words which are sung1 ,i did not so much take care of the wit or fancy of them1 as the making of them proper for music2 in which ,i cannot but have some little knowledge1 having been bred1 for many years of my youth1 to some performance in it4 ,i chalked out the way to the composer1 7in all but the song of ,furies and ,devils1 in the fifth act17 having designed which line ,i would have sung by one1 which by two1 which by three1 which by four voices1 c4 and what manner of humour ,i would have in all the vocal music4 ,note ,,viii4 ,not even the feet of thy own ,psyche's rhyme1 ,though they in number as in sense excel4--,p4 #dce4 ,this unfortunate opera was imitated from the ,french of ,moliere1 and finished1 as ,shadwell assures us1 in the space of five weeks4 ,the author having no talents for poetry1 and no ear for versification1 ,psyche is one of the most contemptible of the frivolous dramatic class to which it belongs4 ,it was1 however1 got up with extreme magnificence1 and received much applause on its first appearance1 in #afge4 ,to justify the censure of ,dryden1 it is only necessary to quote a few of the verses1 taken at random as a specimen1 of what he afterwards calls ,prince ,nicander's vein3 ,nicander4 ,madam1 ,i to this solitude am come1 ,humbly from you to hear my latest doom4 ,psyche4 ,the first command which ,i did give1 ,was1 that you should not see me here2 ,the next command you will receive1 ,much harsher will to you appear4 ,nic4 ,how long1 fair ,psyche1 shall ,i sigh in vain8 ,how long of scorn and cruelty complain8 ,your eyes enough have wounded me1 ,you need not add your cruelty4 ,you against me too many weapons chuse1 ,who am defenceless against each you use4 ,the poet himself seems so conscious of the sad inferiority of his verses1 that he makes1 in the preface1 a half apology1 implying a mortifying consciousness1 that it was necessary to anticipate condemnation1 by pleading guilty4 ,in a thing written in five weeks1 as this was1 there must needs be many errors1 which ,i desire true critics to pass by2 and which1 perhaps1 ,i see myself1 but having much business1 and indulging myself with some pleasure too1 ,i have not had leisure to mend them2 nor would it indeed be worth the pains1 since there are so many splendid objects in the play1 and such variety of diversion1 as will not give the audience leave to mind the writing2 and ,i doubt not but the candid reader will forgive the faults1 when he considers1 that the great design was to entertain the town with variety of music1 curious dancing1 splendid scenes1 and machines2 and that ,i do not1 nor ever did intend1 to value myself upon the writing of this play4 ,shadwell1 however1 had no right to plead1 that this affected contempt of his own lyric poetry ought to have disarmed the criticism of ,dryden2 because1 in the very same preface1 he sets out by insinuating1 that he could easily have beaten our author on his own strong ground of rhyme1 had he thought such a contest worth winning4 ,so much1 at least1 may be inferred from the following declaration3 ,in a good-natured country1 ,i doubt not but this1 my first essay in rhyme1 would be at least forgiven1 especially when ,i promise to offend no more in this kind2 but ,i am sensible that here ,i must encounter a great many difficulties4 ,in the first place1 7though ,i expect more candour from the best writers in rhyme17 the more moderate of them 7who have yet a numerous party1 good judges being very scarce7 are very much offended with me1 for leaving my own province of comedy1 to invade their dominion of rhyme3 but1 methinks1 they might be satisfied1 since ,i have made but a small incursion1 and am resolved to retire4 ,and1 were ,i never so powerful1 they should escape me1 as the northern people did the ,romans2 their craggy barren territories being not worth conquering4 ,note ,,ix4 ----,pale with envy1 ,singleton forswore ,the lute and sword1 which he in triumph bore1 ,and vowed he ne'er would act ,villerius more4--,p4 #dce4 ,singleton was a musical performer of some eminence1 and is mentioned as such in one of ,shadwell's comedies4--',sbud1 they are the best music in ,england3 there's the best shawm and bandore1 and a fellow that acts ,tom of ,bedlam to a miracle2 and they sing ,charon1 oh1 gentle ,charon6 and1 ,come1 my ,daphne1 better than ,singleton and ,clayton did4--,bury ,fair1 ,act ,,iii4 ,scene ,i4 ,villerius1 the grand master of the knights hospitallers1 is a principal character in ,the ,siege of ,rhodes1 an opera by ,sir ,william ,d',avenant1 where great part of the dialogue is in a sort of lyrical recitative2 in the execution of which ,singleton seems to have been celebrated4 ,the first speech of this valorous chief of the order of ,st ,john runs thus3 ,arm1 arm6 let our drums beat1 ,to all our outguards1 a retreat2 ,and to our main-guards add ,files double lined2 from the parade ,send horse to drive the fields1 ,prevent what ripening summer yields2 ,to all the foe would save ,set fire1 or give a secret grave4 ,the combination of the lute and sword1 which ,dryden alludes to1 is ridiculed in ,the ,rehearsal1 where ,bayes informs his critical friends1 that his whole battle is to be represented by two persons2 for ,i make 'em both come forth in armour cap-a-pee1 with their swords drawn1 and hung with a scarlet ribband at their wrists1 7which1 you know1 represents fighting enough17 each of them holding a lute in his hand4--,smith4 ,how1 sir2 instead of a buckler8--,bayes4 ,o ,lord1 ,o ,lord6 instead of a buckler6 ,pray1 sir1 do you ask no more questions4 ,i make 'em1 sir1 play the battle in recitativo2 and here's the conceit3 ,just at the very same instant that one sings1 the other1 sir1 recovers you his sword1 and puts himself into a warlike posture2 so that you have at once your ear entertained with music and good language1 and your eye satisfied with the garb and accoutrements of war4--,rehearsal1 ,act ,v4 ,the adverse generals enter accordingly1 and perform a sort of duet1 great part of which is a parody upon the lyrical dialogue of ,villerius and the ,soldan ,solyman1 in the ,siege of ,rhodes4 ,note ,x4 ,ancient ,decker4--,p4 #dcf4 ,decker1 who did not altogether deserve the disgraceful classification which ,dryden has here assigned to him1 was a writer of the reign of ,james ,i41 and the antagonist of ,jonson4 ,i suspect ,dryden knew1 or at least recollected1 little more of him1 than that he was ridiculed1 by his more renowned adversary1 under the character of ,crispinus1 in ,the ,poetaster4 ,indeed1 nothing can be more unfortunate to an inferior wit1 than to be engaged in controversy with an author of established reputation2 since1 though he may maintain his ground with his contemporaries1 posterity will always judge of him by the character assigned in the writings of his antagonist4 ,decker was admitted to write in conjunction with ,webster1 ,ford1 ,brome1 and even ,massinger2 and though he was only employed to fill up the inferior scenes1 he certainly displays some theatrical talent4 ,indeed he was judged1 by many of his own time1 to have retaliated ,jonson's satire with success1 in ,the ,untrussing of the ,humorous ,poet2 where ,ben is designed under the character of ,horace ,junior4 ,besides1 ,decker possessed some tragic powers3 ,the ,honest ,whore1 which is altogether his own production1 has several scenes of great merit4 ,note ,,xi4 ,but worlds of ,misers from his pen should flow2 ,humorists1 and ,hypocrites1 it should produce1 ,whole ,raymond families1 and tribes of ,bruce4--,p4 #dcf4 ,shadwell translated1 or rather imitated1 ,moliere's ,l',avare1 under the title of ,the ,miser4 ,in ,langbaine's opinion1 he has greatly improved upon his original2 but in this1 as in other cases1 the critic is probably singular4 ,the ,miser was printed in #afgb4 ,the ,humorists was a play professedly written to expose the reigning vices of the age2 but as it was supposed to contain many direct personal allusions1 it was unfavourably received by the audience4 ,shadwell1 by way1 ,i suppose1 of insinuating to the readers an accurate notion of the characters1 or humours1 which he means to represent1 is1 in this and other pieces1 at great pains to give a long and minute account of each individual in the dramatis person4 ,thus we have have in ,the ,humorists1 ,crazy1--,one that is in pox1 in debt1 and all the misfortunes that can be2 and1 in the midst of all1 in love with most women1 and thinks most women in love with him4 ,drybob1--,a fantastic coxcomb1 that makes it his business to speak fine things and wit1 as he thinks2 and always takes notice1 or makes others take notice1 of any thing he thinks well said4 ,brisk1--,a brisk1 airy1 fantastic1 singing1 dancing coxcomb1 that sets up for a well-bred man1 and a man of honour2 but mistakes in every thing1 and values himself only upon the vanity and foppery of gentlemen4 ,i do not know what to make of the ,hypocrites4 ,shadwell wrote no play so entitled2 nor is it likely he gave any assistance to ,medbourne1 who translated the famous ,tartuffe of ,moliere1 for they were of different opinions in religion and politics4 ,perhaps ,dryden means the characters of the ,irish priest and ,tory chaplain in ,the ,lancashire ,witches4 ,raymond is a character in ,the ,humorists1 described in the dramatis person as a gentleman of wit and honour4 ,bruce a similar person in ,the ,virtuoso1 characterized as a gentleman of wit and sense4 ,in these1 and in all other characters where wit and an easy style were requisite1 ,shadwell failed totally4 ,his forte lay in broad1 strong comic painting4 ,note ,,xii4 ,ogleby4--,p4 #dcf4 ,this gentleman1 whose name1 thanks to our author and ,pope1 has become almost proverbial for a bad poet1 was originally a ,scottish dancing-master1 when probably ,scottish dancing was not so fashionable as at present1 and afterwards master of the revels in ,ireland4 ,he translated ,the ,iliad1 ,the ,odyssey1 ,the neid1 and sop's ,fables1 into verse2 and his versions were splendidly adorned with sculpture4 ,he also wrote three epic poems1 one of which was fortunately burned in the fire of ,london4 ,moreover1 he conducted the ceremony of ,charles the ,second's coronation1#ddh and erected a theatre in ,dublin4 ,note ,,xii4 ,love's ,kingdom4--,p4 #dcg4 ,this was a play of ,flecknoe's4 ,the full title is1 ,love's ,kingdom1 a ,pastoral ,tragi-,comedy2 not as it was acted at the theatre1 near ,lincoln's-,inn1 but as it was written1 and since corrected by ,richard ,flecknoe2 with a short treatise of the ,english stage1 c4 by the same author4 ,london1 printed by ,r4 ,wood for the author1 #affd4 ,the author's account of this piece1 in the advertisement1 is1 ,for the plot1 it is neat and handsome1 and the language soft and gentle1 suitable to the persons who speak2 neither on the ground1 nor in the clouds1 but just like the stage1 somewhat elevated above the common4 ,in neither no stiffness1 and1 ,i hope1 no impertinence nor extravagance1 into which your young writers are too apt to run1 who1 whilst they know not well what to do1 and are anxious to do enough1 most commonly overdo4 ,,the ,,prologue4 ,spoken by ,venus from the ,clouds4 ,if ever you have heard of ,venus' name1 ,goddess of beauty1 ,i that ,venus am2 ,who have to day descended from my sphere1 ,to welcome you unto ,love's ,kingdom here2 ,or rather to my sphere am come1 since ,i ,am present no where more nor in the sky1 ,nor any island in the world than this1 ,that wholly from the world divided is3 ,for ,cupid1 you behold him here in me1 7,for there where beauty is1 ,love needs must be17 ,or you may yet more easily descry ,him 'mong the ladies1 in each amorous eye2 ,and 'mongst the gallants may as easily trace ,him to their bosoms from each beauteous face4 ,may then1 fair ladies1 you ,find all your servants true2 ,and1 gallants1 may you find ,the ladies all as kind1 ,as by your noble favours you declare ,how much you friends unto ,love's ,kingdom are2 ,of which yourselves compose so great a part1 ,in your fair eyes1 and in your loving heart4 ,this specimen of ,love's ,kingdom is extracted from the ,censura ,literaria1 ,no4 ,,ix42 to which publication it was communicated by ,mr ,preston of ,dublin4 ,to ,love's ,kingdom ,flecknoe subjoined a ,discourse on the ,english ,stage1 which is sometimes quoted as authority4 ,note ,,xiii4 ,let ,virtuosos in five years be writ1 ,yet not one thought accuse thy toil of wit4--,p4 #dch4 ,shadwell's comedy called ,the ,virtuoso1 was first acted in #afgf with great applause4 ,it is by no means destitute of merit2 though1 as in all his other pieces1 it is to be found rather in the walk of coarse humour than of elegance1 or wit4 ,the character of ,sir ,nicholas ,gimcrack1 the ,virtuoso1 whose time was spent in discoveries1 although he had never invented any thing so useful as an engine to pare a cream cheese with1 is very ludicrous4 ,i cannot1 however1 but notice1 that some of the discoveries1 which are ridiculed with so much humour1 as the composition of various kinds of air1 for example1 have been realized by the philosophers of this age4 ,as the whole piece seems intended as a satire on the researches of the ,royal ,society1 its scope could not be very pleasing to ,dryden1 a zealous member of that learned body2 even if he could have forgiven some hits levelled against him personally in the preface and the epilogue1 which have been quoted in the introduction to ,mac-,flecknoe4 ,note ,,xiv4 ,let gentle ,george in triumph tread the stage1 ,make ,dorimant betray1 and ,loveit rage2 ,let ,cully1 ,cockwood1 ,fopling1 charm the pit4--,p4 #dch4 ,the plays of ,sir ,george ,etherege were much admired during the end of the #agth and beginning of the #ahth century1 till the refinement of taste condemned their indecency and immorality4 ,sir ,george himself was a courtier of the first rank in the gay court of ,charles ,,ii4 ,our author has addressed an epistle to him1 when he was ,resident at ,ratisbon4 ,etherege followed ,king ,james to ,france1 according to one account2 but others say he was killed at ,ratisbon by a fall down stairs1 after he had been drinking freely4 ,sir ,fopling ,flutter1 ,dorimant1 and ,loveit1 are characters in his well-known comedy1 ,the ,man of ,mode4 ,cully and ,cockwood occur in ,love in a ,tub1 another of his plays4 ,note ,,xv4 ,but let no alien ,sedley interpose1 ,to lard with wit thy hungry ,epsom prose4--,p4 #dch4 ,the first edition bears ,sydney1 which is evidently a mistake4 ,shadwell's comedy of ,epsom ,wells was very successful2 which was imputed by his enemies to the assistance he received from the witty ,sir ,charles ,sedley4 ,this he attempts to refute in the following lines of the second prologue1 spoken when the piece was represented before the king and queen at ,whitehall3 ,if this for him had been by others done1 ,after this honour sure they'd claim their own4 ,but it is nevertheless certain1 that ,shadwell acknowledges obligations of the nature supposed1 in the ,dedication of the ,true ,widow to ,sir ,charles ,sedley4 ,no success whatever1 he there says1 could have made me alter my opinion of this comedy1 which had the benefit of your correction and alteration1 and the honour of your approbation4 ,and ,i heartily wish you had given yourself the trouble to have reviewed all my plays1 as they came inaccurately1 and in haste1 from my hands3 it would have been more to my advantage than the assistance of ,scipio and ,lelius was to ,terence2 and ,i should have thought it at least as much to my honour1 since1 by the effects1 ,i find ,i cannot but esteem you as much above both of them in wit1 as either of them was above you in place of the state4 ,there was a general opinion current1 that ,shadwell received assistance in his most successful pieces4 ,a libel of the times1 the reference to which ,i have mislaid1 mentions with contempt the dulness of his unassisted scenes4 ,note ,,xvi4 ,sir ,formal1 though unsought1 attends thy quill1 ,and does thy northern dedications fill4--,p4 #dch4 ,sir ,formal ,trifle is a florid conceited orator in ,the ,virtuoso1 whose character is drawn and brought out with no inconsiderable portion of humour4 ,dryden intimates1 that his coxcomical inflated style attends ,shadwell himself upon the most serious occasions1 and particularly in his dedications to the ,duke and ,duchess of ,newcastle1 to whom he has inscribed several of his plays4 ,hence ,dryden1 in the ,vindication of the ,duke of ,guise1 calls him the ,northern ,dedicator4 ,the truth is1 that ,shadwell's prose was inflated and embarrassed2 and his adulation comes aukwardly from him1 as appears from the opening of the dedication of that very play1 ,the ,virtuoso1 to the ,duke of ,newcastle4 ,so long as your grace persists in obliging1 ,i must go on in acknowledging2 nor can ,i let any opportunity pass of telling the world how much ,i am favoured by you1 or any occasion slip of assuring your grace1 that all the actions of my life shall be dedicated to your service2 who1 by your noble patronage1 your generosity and kindness1 and your continual bounty1 have made me wholly your creature3 nor can ,i forbear to declare1 that ,i am more obliged to your grace than to all mankind4 ,and my misfortune is1 ,i can make no other return1 but a declaration of my grateful attachment4 ,note ,,xvii4 ,nor let false friends seduce thy mind to fame1 ,by arrogating ,jonson's hostile name4--,p4 #dci4 ,shadwell1 as appears from many passages of his prologues and prefaces1 and as we have had repeated occasion to notice1 affected to consider ,ben ,jonson as the object of his emulation4 ,there were indeed many points of resemblance between them1 both as authors and men4 ,in their habits1 a life spent in taverns1 and in their persons1 huge corpulence1 probably acquired by habits of sensual indulgence1 much coarseness of manners1 and an ungentlemanly vulgarity of dialect1 seem to have distinguished both the original and the imitator4 ,as a dramatist1 although ,shadwell falls short of the learned vigour and deep erudition of ,ben ,jonson1 his dry hard comic painting entitles him to be considered as an inferior artist of the same school4 ,dryden more particularly resented ,shadwell's reiterated and affected praises of ,jonson1 because he had himself censured that writer in the epilogue to the ,conquest of ,granada1 and in the critical defence of that poem4#ddi ,hence he considered ,shadwell's ranking himself under ,jonson's banners as a sort of personal defiance4 ,but ,dryden more particularly alludes to the following ebullition of admiration1 which occurs in the epilogue to ,shadwell's ,humorists3 ,the mighty prince of poets1 learned ,ben1 ,who alone dived into the minds of men2 ,saw all their wanderings1 all their follies knew1 ,and all their vain fantastic passions drew ,in images so lively and so true1 ,that there each humorist himself might view4 ,yet only lashed the errors of the times1 ,and ne'er exposed the persons1 but the crimes2 ,and never cared for private frowns1 when he ,did but chastise public iniquity3 ,he feared no pimp1 no pick-pocket1 or drab2 ,he feared no bravo1 nor no ruffian's stab3 ',twas he alone true humours understood1 ,and with great wit and judgment made them good4 ,a humour is the bias of the mind1 ,by which with violence 'tis one way inclined2 ,it makes our actions lean on one side still1 ,and in all changes that way bends the will4 ,this-------- ,he only knew and represented right4 ,thus none1 but mighty ,jonson1 e'er could write4 ,expect not then1 since that most flourishing age ,of ,ben1 to see true humour on the stage4 ,all that have since been writ1 if they be scanned1 ,are but faint copies from that master's hand4 ,our poet now1 amongst those petty things1 ,alas6 his too weak trifling humour brings2 ,as much beneath the worst in ,jonson's plays1 ,as his great merit is above our praise4 ,for could he imitate that great author right1 ,he would with ease all poets else outwrite4 ,but to outgo all other men1 would be1 ,o noble ,ben6 less than to follow thee4 ,dryden1 in the text1 turns the idea of bias into ridicule2 for its original application being to the leaden weight disposed in the centre of a bowl1 which inclines its course in rolling1 he alleges1 that the only bias which can influence ,shadwell is his predominant stupidity4 ,note ,,xix4 ,leave writing plays1 and chuse for thy command1 ,some peaceful province in ,acrostic land4 ,there thou may'st wings display1 and altars raise1 ,and torture one poor word ten thousand ways4--,p4 #ddj4 ,among other efforts of gentle dulness1 may be noticed the singular fashion which prevailed during the earlier period of the #agth century1 of writing in such changes of measure1 that by the different length and arrangement of the lines1 the poem was made to resemble an egg1 an altar1 a pair of wings1 a cross1 or some other fanciful figure4 ,this laborious kind of trifling was much akin to the anagrams and acrostics4 ,those who are curious to read1 or rather to see1 a specimen of such whimsies1 7for they are rather addressed to the eye than the understanding17 may find a dirge of ,mr ,george ,withers1 arranged into the figure of a rhomboid1 in ,ellis's ,specimens of the ,early ,english ,poets1 ,vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #ajj4 ,they are mentioned with anagrams1 acrostics1 rebuses1 and other exercises of false wit1 in the ,spectator1 ,no4 #fc4 ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,tenth ,,volume4 ,edinburgh1 ,printed by ,james ,ballantyne ,co4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #dde3 ,an anonymous poet ascribes the estimation in which he was held to his poetical propensities3 ,verse the famed ,flecknoe raised1 the muses' sport1 ,from drudging for the stage to drudge at court4 ,footnote #ddf3 ,epistle dedicatory to ,bury-fair1 addressed to the ,earl of ,dorset4 ,footnote #ddg3 ,see the inscription intended for his monument in ,westminster ,abbey1 by his son ,sir ,john ,shadwell1 in the ,life prefixed to ,shadwell's ,works4 ,but it was altered before it was placed in the ,abbey1 and a blunder in the date seems to have crept in4--,see ,,cibber',s ,lives of the ,poets1 ,vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #di4 ,footnote #ddh3 ,see ,vol4 ,,ix4 p4 #fa4 ,footnote #ddi3 ,see ,vol4 ,,iv4 p4 #baa1 c4 99 99 99 99 99 ---------------------------------------- --------------------------- ,transcriber notes3 ,p4#df4 'priciples' chanaged to 'principles'1 as in other volume4 ,p4#gh4 ,added footnote after 'manly train' as the anchor is missing and seems to go here4 ,p4#hb4 ,note ,v1 link should be ,p4 #fi1 not ,p4 #fh changed4 ,p4#hb4 ,note ,,vi1 link should be ,p4 #gd1 not ,p4 #gc changed4 ,footnote #eg3 ,added ',note ,,vi4'1 as the link is missing4 ,footnote #agd3 ',note ,,xi4'1 should read ',note ,,xii4'1 changed4 ,footnote #age3 ',note ,,xii4'1 should read ',note ,,xiii4'1 changed4 ,footnote #agh3 ',note ,,xiii4'1 should read ',note ,,xiv4'1 changed4 ,p4#aai4 'enequal' is 'unequal' in another volume1 changed4 ,p4#afi4 ',rosolving' is ',resolving' in another volume1 changed4 ,footnote #bjh3 ,should reaad ',note ,,xiii'1 not ',note ,,xii'1 changed4 ,p4#cid4 ,footnote ',pensylvania' changed to ',pennsylvania'4 ,p4#deg4 ,note ,,xix needs to be ,,xiii1 changed4 ,footnote #fj3 ,should read ',note ,,vii'1 not ',note ,,viii'1 changed4 ,corrected various punctuation4 ,underscore indicates italics like this4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------