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D

CHAP. II.

DRYDEN.

5

His audience, his friendships, his actions, his quarrels, had the same tendency. He lived amongst great men and courtiers, in a society of artificial manners and measured language. He had married the daughter of Thomas, Earl of Berkshire; he was historiographer-royal and poet-laureate. He often saw the king and the princes. He dedicated each of his works to some lord, in a laudatory, flunkeyish preface, bearing witness to his intimate acquaintance with the great. He received a purse of gold for each dedication, went to return thanks; introduces some of these Lords under pseudonyms in his Essay on the Dramatic Art; wrote introductions for the works of others, called them Mæcenas, Tibullus, or Pollio; discussed with them literary works and opinions. The reestablishment of the court had brought back the art of conversation, vanity, the necessity for appearing to be a man of letters and of possessing good taste, all the company-manners which are the source of classical literature, and which teach men the art of speaking well.1 On the other hand, literature, brought under the influence of society, entered into society's interests, and first of all in petty private quarrels. Whilst men of letters learned etiquette, courtiers learned how to write. They soon became jumbled together, and naturally fell to blows. The Duke of Buckingham wrote a parody on Dryden, The Rehearsal, and took infinite pains to teach the chief actor Dryden's tone and gestures. Later, Rochester took up the cudgels against the poet, supported a cabal in favour of Settle against him, and hired a band

1 In his Defence of the Epilogue of the Second Part of the Conquest of Granada, iv. 226, Dryden says: "Now, if they ask me, whence it is that our conversation is so much refined? I must freely, and without flattery, ascribe it to the court."

L

6

THE CLASSIC AGE.

BOOK III.

To crown all, he

of ruffians to cudgel him. Besides this. Dryden had
quarrels with Shadwell and a crowd of others, and finally
with Blackmore and Jeremy Collier.
entered into the strife of political parties and religious
sects, fought for the Tories and Anglicans, then for the
Roman Catholics; wrote The Medal, Absalom and Achito-
phel against the Whigs: Religio Laici against Dissenters
and Papists; then The Hind and Panther for James II.,
with the logic of controversy and the bitterness of party.
It is a long way from this combative and argumentative
existence to the reveries and seclusion of the true poet.
Such circumstances teach the art of writing clearly and
soundly, methodical and connected discussion, strong
and exact style, banter and refutation, eloquence and
satire; these gifts are necessary to make a man of
letters heard or believed, and the mind enters compul-
sorily upon a track when it is the only one that can
conduct it to its goal. Dryden entered upon it spon-
taneously. In his second production,1 the abundance
of well-ordered ideas, the energy and oratorical harmony,
the simplicity, the gravity, the heroic and Roman spirit,
announce a classic genius, the relative not of Shak-
speare, but of Corneille, capable not of dramas, but of
discussions.

III.

And yet, at first, he devoted himself to the drama :
he wrote twenty-seven pieces, and signed an agreement
with the actors of the King's Theatre to supply them
with three every year. The theatre, forbidden under
the Commonwealth, had just re-opened with extra-
ordinary magnificence and success.
The rich scenes
made moveable, the women's parts no longer played by

Heroic stanzas to the memory of Oliver Cromwell.

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CAP. II.

oys, but by women, the novel and sple ne machinery, the recent popularity of ecome heroes of fashion, the scandalou he actresses, who were mistresses of nd of the king, the example of the mitation of France, drew spectators in hirst for pleasure, long repressed, kr Men indemnified themselves for the

imposed by fanatical Puritans; eyes along abstinence with gloomy faces, nasal pronunciationd ear, disgusted

tions on sin and damnation, satiated sweet singing, sparkling dress, the sedu

ous dances. They wished to enjoy ion of voluptu

new fashion; for a new world, that of
the idle, had been formed.
enures, the vast increase of commerc

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concourse of landed proprietors, who and wealth, the came to London to enjoy the ples their lands and and to court the favours of the kines of the town the summit of society, in Englandad installed on rank, authority, the manners and tall as in France, fashion, of the idle, the drawingof pleasure, conversation, wit, and the piece in vogue, less to amus riticise it. Thus was Dryden's poet, greedy of glory and pressed both money and glory, and was h a large reinforcement of theories a from the old English drama, French tragedy, attempting a com ical eloquence and romantic tru

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of the world of quenters, lovers occupied with selves than to built up; the ney, found here innovator, with aces, diverging thing the new between class

self as well as he could to the modating him

and applauded him.

blic, which paid

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E, wit, and conversation of our age, are

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CHAP. II.

"The language ed above the last. Let us conside proved and refin at of a language principally consists; th what the refinemelg such old words, or phrases, which ar either in rejectinpper; or in admitting new, which are sounding or impreading, and more significant.' . . . Let proper, more soutands English, read diligently the work and mor man, who undersietcher, and I dare undertake, that he will of those Shakspeare and Fer some solecism of speech, or some notorothers c in every page eitt. Many of (their plots) were made up of s figurative ent story, which in one play many times obscure."

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Waller

quibble

wherein

ridiculous incohe an age. suppose I need not name Pe redundan up the business the historical plays of Shakspeare; be the swe Prince of Tyre, 1, as the Winter's Tale, Love's Labour many of the rire, which were either grounded on im Measure for Me so meanly written, that the comedy ne bilities, or at le nor the serious part your concernment. caused your monstrate, that our admired Fletcher ne I could easily plotting, nor that which they call the decr understood co: The reader will see Philaster of the stage. wards his boy, to save himself. . . . An of ea mistress, and lls twice into the former indecency of wo to spe

his shepherd

ing women."

than in

learnin

woundin Gentle

their

men

re permits kings to retain a dignit Fletcher Moreover, the action of these author suited to 1 barbarous. They introduce. battles plays is a transport the scene in a moment to the stageity years or five hundred leagues, and distance consecutively in one act; they jumb score of or four different actions, especially together dramas. But they sin most in styl the hisf Shakspeare:-"Many of his word

Dryden

1 Def

Granada

Epilogue of the Second Part of the Conquest

LAP. II.

DRYDEN.

9

nd more of his phrases, are scarce intelligible. And Ethose which we understand, some are ungrammatical, chers coarse; and his whole style is so pestered with gurative expressions, that it is as affected as it is bscure."1 Ben Jonson himself often has bad plots, edundancies, barbarisms: "Well-placing of words, for he sweetness of pronunciation, was not known till Mr. Waller introduced it "2 All, in short, descend to quibbles, low and common expressions: "In the age wherein those poets lived, there was less of gallantry Chan in ours. . . Besides the want of education and learning, they wanted the benefit of converse. Gentlemen will now be entertained with the follies of each other; and, though they allow Cob and Tibb to speak properly, yet they are not much pleased with their tankard, or with their rags."3 For these gentlemen we must now write, and especially for "reasonable n;" for it is not enough to have wit or to love gedy, in order to be a good critic: we must possess and knowledge and a lofty reason, know Aristotle, sporace, Longinus, and pronounce judgment according

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their rules. These rules, based upon observation nd logic, prescribe unity of action; that this action hould have a beginning, middle, and end; that its parts should, proceed naturally one from the other; hat it should excite terror and pity, so as to instruct nd improve us; that the characters should be distinct, harmonious, conformable with tradition or the design of the poet Such, says Dryden, will be the new tragedy, closely allied, it seems, to the French, especially

1 Preface to Troilus and Cressida, vi. 239.

2 Defence of the Epilogue of the Conquest of Granada, iv. 219.

? Ibid. 225-228.*

4 Preface to All for Love, v. 306.

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