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but on one fide; and, to entitle the hero to the protection of angels, he muft fight in defence of indubitable right. Yet fome of the celestial beings, thus opposed to each other, muft have been represented as defending guilt.

That this poem was never written, is reasonably to be lamented. It would doubtlefs have improved our numbers, and enlarged our language; and might perhaps have contributed by pleafing inftructions to rectify our opinions, and purify our

manners.

What he required as the indifpenfable condition of fuch an undertaking, a publick ftipend, was not likely in these times to be obtained. Riches were not become familiar to us; nor had the nation yet learned to be liberal.

This plan he charged Blackmore with stealing; "only," fays he, "the guardian angels of king"doms were machines too ponderous for him to "manage."

In 1694, he began the moft laborious and difficult of all his works, the tranilation of Virgil; from which he borrowed two months, that he might turn "Frefnoy's Art of Painting" into English profe. The preface, which he boafts to have written in twelve mornings, exhibits a parallel of poetry and painting, with a mifcellaneous collection of critical remarks, fuch as coft a mind ftored like his no labour to produce them.

In 1697, he published his verfion of the works of Virgil; and, that no opportunity of profit might be loft, dedicated the Paftorals to the Lord Clifford, the Georgicks to the Earl of Chesterfield, and the

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Eneid

Eneid to the Earl of Mulgrave. This economy of flattery, at once lavish and discreet, did not pass without obfervation.

This tranflation was cenfured by Milbourne, a clergyman, ftyled, by Pope, "the faireft of cri"ticks," because he exhibited his own verfion to be compared with that which he condemned.

His laft work was his Fables, published in confequence, as is fuppofed, of a contract now in the hands of Mr. Tonfon: by which he obliged himself, in confideration of three hundred pounds, to finish for the prefs ten thousand verfes.

In this volume is comprised the well-known ode on St. Cecilia's day, which, as appeared by a letter communicated to Dr. Birch, he ipent a fortnight in compofing and correcting. But what is this to the patience and diligence of Boileau, whofe Equivrque, a poem of only three hundred and forty-fix lines, took from his life eleven months to write it, and three years to revife it?

Part of his book of Fables is the firft Iliad in English, intended as a specimen of a verfion of the whole. Confidering into what hands Homer was to fall, the reader cannot but rejoice that this project went no further.

The time was now at hand which was to put an end to all his fchemes and labours. On the first of May, 1701, having been fome time, as he tells us, a cripple in his limbs, he died, in Gerard-street, of a mortification in his leg.

There is extant a wild ftory relating to fome vexatious events that happened at his funeral, which, at the end of Congreve's Life, by a writer of I

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know not what credit, are thus related, as I find the account transferred to a biographical dictionary.

"Mr. Dryden dying on the Wednesday morning, "Dr. Thomas Sprat, then Bishop of Rochefter and "Dean of Weftminster, fent the next day to the

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Lady Elizabeth Howard, Mr. Dryden's widow, "that he would make a prefent of the ground, which "was forty pounds, with all the other Abbey-fees. “The Lord Halifax likewife fent to the Lady Eliza"beth, and Mr. Charles Dryden her fon, that, if

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they would give him leave to bury Mr. Dryden, "he would inter him with a gentleman's private fu"neral, and afterwards beftow five hundred pounds "on a monument in the Abbey; which, as they "had no reason to refufe, they accepted. On the "Saturday following the company came; the corpfe "was put into a velvet hearse; and eighteen mourn"ing coaches, filled with company, attended. "When they were juft ready to move, the Lord Jef"feries, fon of the Lord Chancellor Jefferies, with "fome of his rakifh companions, coming by, afked "whofe funeral it was: and being told Mr. Dry"den's, he faid, What, fhall Dryden, the greatest "honour and ornament of the nation, be buried af"ter this private manner! No, gentlemen, let all "that loved Mr. Dryden, and honour his memory, "alight and join with me in gaining my lady's con"fent to let me have the honour of his interment, " which fhall be after another manner than this; " and I will beftow a thousand pounds on a monu"ment in the Abbey for him.' The gentlemen in "the coaches, not knowing of the Bifhop of Ro"chefter's favour, nor of the lord Halifax's generous

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defign (they both having, out of respect to the family, enjoined the Lady Elizabeth, and her son, "to keep their favour concealed to the world, and "let it pafs for their own expence), readily came "out of their coaches, and attended Lord Jefferies up to the lady's bedfide, who was then fick. He "repeated the purport of what he had before faid; but the abfolutely refufing, he fell on his knees, vowing never to rife till his requeft was granted. "The rest of the company by his defire kneeled "alfo; and the lady, being under a fudden fur

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prize, fainted away. As foon as the recovered "her fpeech, fhe cried, No, no. Enough, gentle"men, replied he; my lady is very good, fhe fays, "Go, go. She repeated her former words with all "her strength, but in vain, for her feeble voice "was loft in their acclamations of joy; and the "Lord Jefferies ordered the hearfemen to carry the

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corpfe to Mr. Ruffel's, an undertaker in Cheap"fide, and leave it there till he fhould fend orders "for the embalment, which, he added, should be "after the royal maner. His directions were obey"ed, the company difperfed, and Lady Elizabeth "and her fon remained inconfolable. The next "day Mr. Charles Dryden waited on the Lord Ha"lifax and the Bishop, to excufe his mother and

himself, by relating the real truth. But neither his "Lordship nor the Bishop would admit of any plea; "especially the latter, who had the Abbey lighted, "the ground opened, the choir attending, an an"them ready fet, and himself waiting for fome time "without any corpfe to bury. The undertaker, "after three days expectance of orders for embal"ment without receiving any, waited on the Lord "Jefferies,

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Jefferies; who, pretending ignorance of the matter, "turned it off with an ill-natured jeft, faying, that "those who obferved the orders of a drunken frolick "deserved no better; that he remembered nothing "at all of it; and that he might do what he pleafed "with the corpfe. Upon this, the undertaker "waited upon the Lady Elizabeth and her fon, and "threatened to bring the corpfe home, and fet it "before the door. They defired a day's refpite, "which was granted. Mr. Charles Dryden wrote a "handsome letter to the Lord Jefferies, who returned "it with this cool anfwer: That he knew nothing "of the matter, and would be troubled no more "about it.' He then addreffed the Lord Halifax "and the bishop of Rochefter, who abfolutely re"fused to do any thing in it. In this diftrefs Dr. "Garth fent for the corpfe to the College of Phyfi"cians, and propofed a funeral by fubfcription, to "which himself set a most noble example. At last "a day, about three weeks after Mr. Dryden's de"ceafe, was appointed for the interment. Dr. Garth pronounced a fine Latin oration, at the College, "over the corpfe; which was attended to the Abbey

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by a numerous train of coaches. When the funeral "was over, Mr. Charles Dryden fent a challenge to "the Lord Jefferies, 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 he "refolved, fince his Lordship refused to answer him "like a gentleman, that he would watch an oppor"tunity to meet and fight off-hand, though with "all the rules of honour; which his Lordship hearVOL. IX.

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