and Pope, nearly at the fame time. In the Life of Southerne, however, published thortly afterwards by Shiels and the younger Cibber, on the teftimony of a gentleman who had been perfonally acquainted with that poet, the fums are faid to have been five and ten guineas; and Dr. Johnfon, with more probability, fuppofes, that Dryden's original price for a prologue was tavo guineas, and that from Southerne he demanded three: fo difficult is it to elicit truth from any traditional tale. By his tranflation of Virgil, he got at the leaft twelve hundred pounds. Of his other works it is not eafy to afcertain the price; but from the letters which paffed between him and his bookfeller, it may be collected, that he ufually received fifty guineas for about fifteen hundred lines. Tonfon, who feems to have confidered the making of verfes as much a manufacture as the making of paper, Each word and fyllable brought to the fcale, And valued to a scruple in the sale; therefore, now eftimate his works, not by their value, but their bulk. At the rate already mentioned, his tranflation of Juvenal and Perfius, to which he contributed about 3500 verfes, would not have produced more than 125/.; but in confideration of the excellence of the original, as well as the tranflation, and that the latter was not a detached but an entire work, 150l. may perhaps be eftimated as the profit of that undertaking. From the Fables, we know, he derived but 268/. 155. (though afterwards, on that contract, a further fum became due to his reprefentatives); and for the two volumes of Mifcellanies published within his period, the verfions of Du Fresnoy, and the first book of Tacitus, various Dedications, and fome other productions, 300 more may be allowed. To thefe feveral fums, which amount to 2418% 15s. we may add, perhaps, a fum of 1000l. derived probably from the munificence of Lord Dorset, the Marquis of Normandy, the Dutchefs of Ormond, and his wealthy kinfman of Chesterton, whose noble prefent, in return for the epiftle addreffed to him, he received about a month before his death; and whose liberality at a former period he also acknowledges, in a letter which has come to my hands fince fome of the preceding theets were printed. At an average, therefore, fuppofing thefe statements to be correct, his annual income from all these fources, including his private eftate, even during this diftrefsful period of eleven years, was above 400l. per annum. Yet his complaints were not without ground; for let it be remembered, that his three fons were now grown to man's eftate, without any profpect of future provifion, except what his little patrimony afforded; that when he made thefe complaints, he had no certain revenue but about 120/. per annum; and that the principal fupport of his family was obtained by unceasing toil, 312 for on one occasion we find him com. guineas are but 1446: fo that, if "I have no more, I pay ten guineas "above forty, and have feventy-two lines lefs for fifty, in proportion, "than the other bookfeller should "have had for forty!" Degrading as it may appear to our author, we muft, ren rendered still more irksome by age and infirmities. "This is a bufinefs," fays he, in a letter to Tonfon, in 1697; " of the greatest confequence "in the world; for you know how "I love Charles; and therefore I "write to you with all the earnest "nefs of a father. If I muft die of over ftudy, I cannot spend my life "better than in faving his." Nor was the conftant labour by which thefe fums were required, his only grievance: the greater part of his income being occafional and cafual, was no fmall evil, and he must have experienced much embarraffment from the uncertainty of his revenue; in affluence, perhaps, for half the year, and during the other half often without a guinea. Inftead of fuffering him to earn a precarious and uncertain livelihood by laborious and inceffant literary exertions, it furely would have been more noble in the minifters of King William to have fettled on him a penfion equal in value to the falary of the offices which he had confcientiously relinquished; overlooking his former fatires, and his prefent political and religious at tachments, which latter, if at all at tended to, entitled him to refpect; and confidering him only as one of the greatest poets which England had produced in many centuries; who, on that ground alone, at fuch an advanced period of life, had an indifputable claim to eafe and independence. William, however, was no patron of poets*: and Dryden received no favour whatfoever, either from the prince on the throne, or thofe to whom the difpenfation of the royal bounty was entrusted. During this calamitous feafon of his life, it should be remembered to his honour, that his fpirit was un broken; and however he may have complained of diftrefs and embarraffments, no regard to his intereft could induce him to abandon his religious or political opinions; as is evinced by a paper written but fix months before his death, in which he fpeaks of his fituation and profpects with great dignity and fortitude. What has hindered me from writing to you (fays he, in a letter to a kinfwoman), was neither ill health, nor a worfe thing, ingratitude; but a flood of little bufineffes, which yet are neceffary to my fubfiftence, and of which I hoped to have given you a good account before this time: but the court rather fpeaks kindly of me, than does any thing for me, though they promife largely; and perhaps they think I will advance as they go backward; in which they will be much deceived, for I can never go an inch beyond my confcience and honour. If they will confider me las a man who has done my best to im prove the language, and especially the poetry, and will be content with my acquiefcence under the prefent government, and forbearing fatire on it, that I can promife, because I can perform it; but I can neither take the oaths, nor forfake my religion. (To be continued.) ORIGINAL LETTERS OF DRYDEN. I KNOW not whether my lord Sunderland has interceded with 罩 your lordship for half a yeare of my falary; but I have two other advo cates, my extreme wants, even almoft to arrefting, and my ill health, which cannot King William, says Lord Orford, " had so little leifurc to attend to, or so little dispofition to men of wit, that when St. Evremont was introduced to him, the King said coldly," Ithink you were a Major-general in the French service” Anecdotes of Faint.ing, iii. 113. cannot be repaired without immediately retiring into the country. A quarter's allowance is but the Jefuites' powder to my disease ; the fitt will return a fortnight hence. If I durft, I would plead a little merit, and fome hazards of my life from the common enemyes; my refuseing advantages offered by them, and neglecting my beneficiall ftudyes, for the king's service: but I only thinke I merit not to fterve. I never ap ply'd myfelfe to any intereft contrary to your lordship's; and on fome occafions, perhaps not known to you, have not been unferviceable to the memory and reputation of my lord, your father. After this, my lord, my confcience affures me I may write boldly, though I cannot speak to you. I have three fonns, growing to man's eftate; I breed them all up to learning, beyond my fortune; but they are too hopeful to be neglected, though I want. Be pleafed to looke on me with an eye of compaffion: fome small employment would render my condition eafy. The king is not unfatisfied of me; the duke has often promised me his affiftance; and your lord hip is the conduit through which their favours paffe either in the cuftomes, or the appeals of the excife, or fome other way, meanes cannot be wanting, if you please to have the will. 'Tis enough for one age to have neglected Mr Cowley, and fterv'd Mr Butler; but neither of them had the happiness to live till your lordship's miniftry. In the meane time, be pleased to give me a gracious and speedy answer to my prefent request of halfe a yeare's penfion for my neceffitys. I am going to write fomewhat by his majefty's command, and cannot itirr into the country for my health and ftudies, till I fecure my family from want. You have many petitions of this nature, and cannot fatisfy all: but I hope from your goodness, to be made an exception to your general rules, becaufe You may please, Sir, to remember, that upon my first propofal about the Third Mifcellany, I offered fifty pounds, and talked of several authors, without naming Ovid. You asked if it fhould not be guineas, and faid, I fhould not repent it: upon which I immediately complied, and left it wholly to you what, and for the quantity too: and I declare it was the fartheft in the world from my thoughts, that by leaving it to you I fhould have the lefs. Thus the cafe flood, when you went into Effex. After I came out of Northamptonfhire, I wrote to you, and received a letter dated Monday, Oct. 3, 92, from which letter I now write word for word what follows. I am tranflating about fix hundred lines, or fomewhat lefs, of the first book of the Metamorphofes. If I cannot get my price, which shall be twenty guineas, I will tranflate the whole book; which coming out before the whole tranflatiod will spoil Tate's Tate's undertakings. Tis one of the beft I ever made, and very pleasant. This, with Hero and Leander, and the piece of Homer, (or, if it be not enough, I will add more) will make a good part of a mifcellany.' Thofe, Sir, are the very words, and the only ones in that letter relating to that affair; and the Monday following, you came to town. After your arrival, you fhewed Mr Motteaux what you had done (which be told me was to the end of the ftory of Daphne) and demanded, as you mentioned in your letter, twenty guineas, which that book feller refused. Now, Sir, I the rather believe there was just so much done, by reason the number of lines you mention in your letter, agrees with the quantity of lines that fo much of the first book makes; which upon counting the Ovid I find to be in Latin 566, in the English 759; and the bookfeller told me there was no more demanded of him for it.-Now, Sir, what I entreat you would please to confider of is this that it is reasonable for me to expect at least as much favour from you as a ftrange bookfeller; and I will never believe that it can be in your nature to use one the worfe for leaving it to you; and if the matter of fact as I ftate it be true, (and upon my word what I mention I can fhew you in your letter) then pray, Sir, confider how much dearer pay than you offered it to the other bookfeller, for he might have had to the end of the ftory of Daphne for twenty guineas, which is in your tranflation 759 lines. I more, I pay ten guineas above forty, and have 72 lines lefs for fifty, in proportion, than the other bookfeller fhould have had for forty, at the rate you offered him the first part. This is, Sir, what I fhall take as a great favour if you please to think of. I had intentions of letting you know this before; but till I had paid the money, I would not afk to fee the book, nor count the lines, least it thould look like a defign of not keepmy word. When you have looked over the rest of what you have already tranflated, I defire you would send it; and I own that if you don't think fit to add fomething more, I must fubmit; 'tis wholly at your choice, for I left it entirely to you; but I believe you cannot imagine I expected fo little for you were pleased to ufe me much kindlier in Juvenal, which is not reckoned fo eafy to tranflate as Ovid. Sir, I humbly beg your pardon for this long letter, and upon my word I had rather have your good will than any man's alive ; and whatever you are pleased to do, will always acknowledge myself, Sir, Your most obliged humble fervant, J. Tonfon. To Mr John Dennis*. My Dear Mr Dennis, When I read a letter fo full of my commendations as your last, I cannot but confider you as the master of a vaft treasure, who having more than enough for yourself, are forced to ebb out upon your friends. You have indeed the best right to give them, fince have them in propriety: you but they are no more mine when I receive them, than the light of the moon can be allowed to be her own, who fhines but by the reflexion of her brother. Your own poetry is a more powerful example, to prove. that the modern writers may enter into * From Dennis's "Letters on feveral Occafions," p. 53. Dennis's letter to Dryden, to which this is an anfwer, is dated March 3, 1693. Editor. into comparison with the ancients, than any which Perrault could produce in France; yet neither he, nor you, who are a better critic, can perfuade me, that there is any room left for a folid commendation at this time of day, at least for me. If I undertake the tranflation of Virgil, the little which I can perform will show at least, that no man is fit to write after him, in a barbarous tongue. Neither will his machines be of any service to a Christian poet. We fee how ineffectually they have been tried by Taffo, and by Ariofto. 'Tis ufing them too dully, if we only make devils of his gods; as if, for example, I would raise a storm, and make ufe of Aolus, with this only difference of calling him Prince of the air; what invention of mine would there be in this? or who would not fee Virgil through me: only the fame trick played over again by a bungling juggler? Boileau has well obferved, that it is an easy matter, in a Christian poem, for God to bring the Devil to reafon. I think I have given a better hint for new machines in my preface to Juvenal; where I have particularly recommended two fubje&ts, one of king Arthur's conqueft of the Saxons, and the other of the Black Prince in his conquest of Spain. But the Guardian Angels of monarchies and kingdoms, are not to be touched by every hand; a man must be deeply converfant in the platonic philofophy, to deal with them; and therefore I may reafonably expect that no poet of our age, will prefume to handle those machines, for fear of difcovering his own ignorance; or if he should, he might perhaps be ungrateful enough not to own me for his benefactor. After I have confeffed thus much of our modern heroick poetry, I cannot but conclude with Mr Rymer, that our English comedy is far beyond any thing of the ancients: and notwithstanding our irregularities, fo is our tragedy. Shakspeare had a genius for it; and we know, in spite of Mr Rymer, that genius alone is a greater virtue (if I may fo call it) than all other qualifications put together. You fee what fuccefs this learned critic bas found in the world, after his blafpheming Shakspeare. Almost all the faults which he has difcovered are truly there; yet who will read Mr Rymer, or not read Shakspeare? For my own part, I reverence Mr Rymer's learning, but I deteft his illnature and his arrogance. I indeed, and fuch as I, have reafon to be afraid of him, but Shakspeare has not. There is another part of poetry, in which the English stand almost upon an equal foot with the ancients and it is that which we call Pindarique, introduced, but not perfected, by our famous Mr Cowley: and of this, Sir, you are certainly one of the greatest mafters. You have the fublimity of fenfe as well as found, and know how far the boldness of a poet may lawfully extend. I could wish you would cultivate this kind of ode, and reduce it either to the fame measures, which Pindar used, or give new measures of your own. For, as it is, it looks like a vast tract of land newly discovered: the foil is wonderfully fruitful, but unmanured, overstocked with inhabitants, but almoft all favages, without laws, arts, aims, or policy. 6 I remember poor Nat. Lee, whó was then upon the verge of madness, yet made a fober and a witty answer to a bad poet, who told him,' It was an eafy thing to write like a madman: No,' faid he, it is very difficult to write like a madman, but it is an eafy matter to write like a fool.” Otway and he are fafe by death from all attacks, but we poor poets militant (to ufe Mr Cowley's expreflion) are at the mercy of wretched fcribblers; and when they cannot fasten upon our verfes, they fall upon our morals, our principles of fate and re ligion: |