but his fongs, or his prologues, each of them would have entitled him to the preference and diftinction of excelling in its kind."

Befides Mr. Dryden's numerous other performances, we find him the author of twentyfeven dramatic pieces, of which the following is an account.

1. The Wild Gallant, a comedy, acted at the theatre royal, and printed in 4to, Lond. 1699.

2. The Indian Emperor; or the Conqueft: of Mexico by the Spaniards; acted with great. applaufe, and written in verse.

3. An Evening's Love, or the Mock-Aftrologer: a comedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 4to. 1671.It is, for the. most part, taken from Corneille's Feint Aftrologue, Moliere's Depit Amoreux, and Precieux Ridicules.

4. Marriage A-la-mode, a comedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 4to, 1673. dedicated to the earl of Rochester.

5. Amboyna, a tragedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 4to. 1673. It is dedicated to the lord Clifford, of Chudleigh. The plot of this play is chiefly founded in hiftory, giving an account of the cruelty of the Dutch towards our countrymen at Amboyna, A. D. 1618.

6. The Miftaken Hufband, a comedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 4to. 1675

Mr.

Mr. Langbaine tells us, Mr. Dryden was not the author of this play, though it was adopted by him as an orphan, which might well deferve the charity of a fcene he bestowed on it. It is in the nature of low comedy, or farce, and written on the model of Plautus's Menæchmi.

7. Aurenge-zebe, or the Great Mogul, a . tragedy, dedicated to the earl of Mulgrave, and acted in 1676. The story is related at large in Taverner's Voyages to the Indies, vol. i. part 2. This play is written in heroic

verfe..

8. The Tempeft, or the Inchanted lfland; ; a comedy, acted at the duke of York's theatre, and printed in 4to. 1676. This is only an alteration of Shakespear's Tempeft, by Sir William Davenant and Dryden. The new characters in it were chiefly the invention and writing of Sir William, as acknowledged by Mr. Dryden in his preface.

9. Feigned Innocence, or Sir Martin Mar all, a comedy, acted at the duke of York's theatre, and printed in 4to. 1678. The foun dation of this is originally French, the greatest part of the plot, and fome of the language, being taken from Moliere's Eteurdi.

10. The Affignation, or Love in a Nunnery, a comedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 4to. 1678, addreffed to Sir Charles Sedley. This play, Mr. Langbaine tells us, was damned on the ftage; or, as the author expreffes it in the epifle dedicatory, C 6.

fuc

fucceeded ill in the reprefentation; but, whether the fault was in the play itself, or in the lameness of the action, or in the numbers of its enemies, who came refolved to damn it for the title, he will not pretend any more than the author to determine.

11. The State of Innocence, or the Fall of Man, an opera, written in heroic verse, and printed in 4to. 1678. It is dedicated to her royal highness the duchefs of York, on whom" the author paffes the following extravagant compliment.

"Your perfon is fo admirable, that it can fcarce receive any adition when it fhall be glorified; and your foul, which fhines through it, finds it of a substance so near her own, that The will be pleafed to pass an age within it, and to be confined to fuch a palace."

To this piece is prefixed an apology for heroic poetry and poetic licence. The fubject is taken from Milton's Paradife Loft, of which, it must be acknowledged, it is a poor imitation.

12. The Conqueft of Granada by the Spaniards, in two parts, two tragi-comedies, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 1678.

Thefe two plays are dedicated to the duke of York, and were received on the stage with great applaufe. The ftory is to be found in Mariana's Hiftory of Spain, B. xxv. chap.

18.

Thefe plays are written in rhime. To the firft is prefixed an Effay on Heroic Plays, and

to

to the fecond an Effay on the Dramatic Poetry of the Laft Age.

13. All for Love, or the World Well Loft, a tragedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and printed in 4to. 1678. It is dedicated to the the earl of Danby.

This is the only play of Mr. Dryden's which, he fays, ever pleafed himself; and he tells us, that he prefers the scene between Anthony and Ventidius, in the first act, to any thing he had written of this kind. It is full of fine fentiments, and the most poetical and beautiful descriptions of any of his plays: the defcription of Cleopatra in her barge exceeds any thing in poetry, except Shakespear's and his own St. Cecilia.

14. Tyrannic Love, or the Royal Martyr, a tragedy, acted at the theatre-royal in 1679. It is written in rhime, and dedicated to the duke of Monmouth.

15. Troilus and Creffida, or Truth found too late, a tragedy, acted at the duke's theatre, and printed in 4to. 1679. It is dediIcated to the earl of Sunderland, and has a preface prefixed concerning grounds of criticifm in tragedy.This play was originally Shakefpear's, and revifed and altered by Dryden, who added feveral new fcenes. The plot is taken from Chaucer's Troilus and Creffida, which that poet tranflated from the original ftory, written in Latin verfe by Lollius, a Lombard.

16. Secret

16. Secret Love, or the Maiden Queen, a tragi-comedy, acted at the theatre-royal, and; printed in 4to. in 1697 The serious part of the plot is founded on the history of Cleobuline, queen of Corinth.

17. The Rival Ladies, a tragi-comedy, acted at the theatre-royal in 1679. It is dedicated to the earl of Orrery. The dedication is in the nature of a preface, in defence of En-glish verfe or rhime."

18. The Kind Keeper, or Mr. Limberham, a comedy, acted at the duke's theatre, printed in 4to- in 1680. It is dedicated to John lordi Vaughan. Mr. Langbaine fays, "It fo much exposed the keepers about town, that all the old letchers were up in arms against it, and damned it the third night..

19. The Spanish Fryar, or the Double Difcovery, a tragi-comedy, acted at the duke's theatre, and printed in 1681. It is dedicated to John lord Haughton.-This is one of Mr. Dryden's best plays, and ftill keeps poffeffion of the ftage. It is faid, that he was afterwards fo much concerned for having ridiculed the character of the Fryar, that it impaired his health. What effect bigotry, or the influence of priests, might have on him, on this occafion, we leave others to determine.

20. Duke of Guife, a tragedy, acted in 1688. It was written by Dryden and Lee, and dedicated to Hyde, earl of Rochefter.This play gave great offence to the Whigs,

and