might do what he pleafed with the body. Upon this, the undertaker waited on the lady Elizabeth, who defired a day's refpite, which was granted. Mr. Charles Dryden immedi ately wrote to the lord Jefferys, who returned for answer, that he knew nothing of the matter, and would be troubled no more about it. Mr. Dryden hereupon applied again to the lord Halifax, and the bishop of Rochester, who abfolutely refufed to do any thing in the affair.

In this distress, Dr. Garth, who had been Mr. Dryden's intimate friend, fent for the corpfe to the college of phyficians, and propofed a fubfcription; which fucceeding, about three weeks after Mr. Dryden's decease, Dr. Garth pronounced a fine Latin oration over the body, which was conveyed from the college, attended by a numerous train of coaches to Weftminster-abbey, but in very great diforder. At laft the corpfe arrived at the abbey, which was all unlighted. No organ played, no anthem fung; only two of the boys preceded the corpfe, who fung an ode of Horace, with each a small candle in his hand.

When the funeral was over, Mr. Charles Dryden fent a challenge to lord Jefferys, who refufing to answer it, he fent feveral others, and went often himself; but could neither get a letter delivered, nor admittance to speak to him; which fo incenfed him, that, finding his lordship refused to answer him like a gentleman,

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tleman, he resolved to watch an opportunity and brave him to fight, though with all the rules of honour; which his lordship hearing, quitted the town, and Mr. Charles never had an opportunity to meet him, though he fought it to his death with the utmost application.

Mr. Dryden had no monument erected to him for feveral years; to which Mr. Pope alludes in his epitaph intended for Mr. Rowe, in this line,

Beneath a rude and nameless fone he lies.

this

In a note upon which we are informed, that the tomb of Mr. Dryden was erected upon hint, by Sheffield, duke of Buckingham; to which was originally intended this epitaph,

This Sheffield raised. The facred duft be low

Was Dryden's once. The reft, who does not know.

Which was fince changed into the plain in fcription now upon it: viz,

J.

DRY D E N..

Natus Aug. 9, 1631:

Mortus Maii 1, 1701.

Johannes Sheffield, dux Buckinghamienfis fecit..

The

The character of Mr. Dryden has been drawn by various hands; fome have done it in a favourable, others in an oppofite manner. The bishop of Sarum, in the history of. his own times, fays, that the ftage was defiled beyond all example; Dryden, the great mafter of dramatic poetry, being a monster of immodefty and impurities of all forts." The late lord Lanfdown took upon himself to vindicate Mr. Dryden's character from this fevere imputation; which was again answered, and, apologies made for it, by Mr. Burnet, the bishop's fon. But, not to dwell on these controverfies about his character, let us hear what Mr. Congreve fays, in the dedication of Dryden's works to the duke of Newcastle. Congreve knew him intimately; and, as he could have no motive to deceive the world in that particular; and being a man of untainted morals, none can fufpect his authority; and, by his account, we shall fee, that Dryden was, indeed, as amiable in private life, as a man; as he was illuftrious, in the eye of the public,. as a poet..

"Mr. Dryden," fays Congreve," had perfonal qualities to challenge love and efteem.

In Millar's edition of the bishop's works, we have the following note upon this paffage. "This," fays the editor," must be understood of his performances for the ftage; for, as to his perfonal character, there was nothing remarkably vicious in it: but his plays are, fome of them, the fulleft of obscenity of any now extant."

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from..

from all who were truly acquainted with him. He was of a nature exceeding humane and compaffionate, eafily forgiving injuries, and capable of a prompt and fincere reconciliation with thofe who had offended him. His friendthip, where he profeffed it, went much beyond his profeffions. As his reading had been very extenfive, fo was he very happy in a memory tenacious of every thing he had read. He was not more poffeffed of knowledge than he was communicative of it; but then his communication of it was by no means pedantic, or imposed upon the converfation, but juft fuch, and went fo far, as, by the natural turns of the discourfe in which he was engaged it was neceflarily prompted or required. He) was extremely ready and gentle in the correction of the errors of any writer who thought fit to confult him, and full as ready and pa-. tient to admit of the reprehenfions of others in refpect of his own overfight or mistakes. He was of a very eafy, I may fay of a very pleafing, accefs; but fomething flow, and, as it were diffident, in his advances to others. He had fomething in his nature that abhorred intrufion in any fociety whatfoever; and, indeed, it is to be regretted that he was rather blameable on the other extreme. He was, of all men I ever knew, the most modeft, and the most eafy to be discountenanced in his proaches, either to his fuperiors or to his equals,

ap

As

"As to his writings, I may venture to fay, in general terms, that no man hath written, in our language, so much, and so various mat ter; and, in fo various manners, fo well. Another thing, I may fay, was very peculiar to him; which is, that his parts did not de-, cline with his years; but that he was an improving writer to the laft, even to near seventy years of age; improving even in fire and imagination as well as in judgment; witnefs his Ode on St. Cecilia's Day; and his Fables; his lateft performances. He was equally excellent in verfe and profe: his profe had all the clearness imaginable, without deviating to the language or diction of poetry; and I have heard him frequently own with pleasure, that, if he had any talent for writing profe, it was owing to his frequently having read the writings of the great archbishop Tillotson. In his poems, his diction is, wherever his fubject requires it, fo fublime, and fo truly poetical, that its effence, like that of pure gold, cannot be deftroyed. Take his verfes, and diveft them of their rhimes, disjoint them of their numbers, tranfpofe their expreffions, make what arrangement or difpofition you please in his words; yet fhall there eternally be poetry, and fomething which will be found incapable of being reduced to abfolute profe. What he has done in any one fpecies, or distinct kind of writing, would have been fufficient to have acquired him a very great name. If he had written nothing but his prefaces, or nothing C 5

but