wanting, as beautiful as any in our hemisphere; that young Berenice," who is miscmploying allher charms on stupid country souls, that can never know the value of them, and losing the triumphs which are ready prepared for her in the court and town. And yet I know not whether I am so much a loser by her absence, for I have reason to apprehend the sharpness of her judgment, if it were not allayed by the sweetness of her nature; and after all, I fear she may come time enough to discover a thousand imperfections in my play, which might have passed on vulgar understandings. Be pleased to use the authority of a father over her on my behalf; enjoin her to keep her own thoughts of AMPHITRYON to herself, or at least not to compare him too strictly with Moliere's. It is true I have an interest in this partiality of her's; but withal, I plead some sort of merit for it, in being so particularly as I am,

SIR,

Your most obedient, humble servant,

October 24, 1690.

JOHN DRYDEN.

Young Berenice, (as appears from the Dedication of CLEOMENES,) was Sir William Gower's youngest daughtér, Jane, who was married to Henry Lord Hyde, eldest son of our author's patron, Laurence, Earl of Rochester. Lord Hyde afterwards became Earl of Clarendon and Rochester. Sir William's eldest daughter, Catharine, was the wife of Sir Edward Wyndham, Bart. ancestor of the present Earl of Egremont.

DEDICATION

OF

KING A-RTHUR,

OR, THE BRITISH WORTHY.'

TO THE

MARQUIS OF HALIFAX.1

MY LORD,

THIS poem was the last piece of service

which I had the honour to do for my graciousmaster, King Charles the Second; and though he lived not to see the performance of it on the stage,

This dramatick opera was performed at the Queen's Theatre in Dorset Gardens, in the middle of the year 1691, and was printed in the same year. From THE GENTLEMAN'S JOURNAL for January 1691-2, by P. Motteux, it appears that it was frequently represented in the preceding December. The two Companies, called the King's and the Duke's Servants, were united in 1682, and acted afterwards together in Drury-Lane: but they appear to have occasionally performed in Dorset Gardens, the theatre there being more suited to exhibitions in which the scenes, dances, and machinery, were the prin cipal objects of attraction.

Dr. Johnson has fallen into a slight errour concerning this opera. "It does not (he says) seem to have been brought on the stage."-Afterwards he adds," When this was brought upon the stage, news that the Duke of

yet the prologue to it, which was the opera of ALBION AND ALBANIUS, was often practised before

Monmouth had landed was told in the theatre, upon which the company departed, and ARTHUR was exhibited no more."

This story, thus related, is a good specimen of the manner in which traditional tales are usually handed down from age to age; which, if closely examined and compared with authentick documents, are hardly ever found correct in all their parts. The truth is, a rumour had reached Dr. Johnson, that an opera of Dryden's had been acted at the time of the Duke of Monmouth's landing in the west; and he has applied to KING ARTHUR what was true only of ALBION AND ALBANIUS. This tale, however, as usual, gathered some additional circumstances as it rolled along; for ALBION AND ALBANIUS, as has been already mentioned, was performed six times, and on the sixth night of its representation an account reached London of the Duke of Monmouth's invasion; so that if the company rose up in confusion, it must have been then, and not on its first representation. As for KING ARTHUR, instead of being never acted, it was frequently performed with considerable success." It was, says Downes, (ROSCIUS ANGLICANUS, 8vo. 1708, p. 42,) excellently adorned with scenes and machines; the musical part set by famous Mr. Henry Purcell, and dances by Mr. Jo. Priest. The play and musick pleased the court and city, and being well performed, 'twas very gainful to the company."

The last paragraph quoted from Johnson's LIFE OF DRYDEN was an addition to his original work, and his memory, or that of his informer, deceived him..

2 Sir George Saville was the son of Sir William Saville, Bart. and Anne, daughter of Thomas, Lord

him at Whitehall, and encouraged by his royal approbation. It was indeed a time which was

Coventry, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. In January 1667-8, he was created Viscount, 16th of July 1672, Earl, and 17th of August 1682, Marquis, of Halifax; and soon afterwards he was made Lord Privy Seal. He appears to have been rather a dextrous political intriguer, than a wise or virtuous statesman, and to have affected in every period of his life the character of a man of wit. Several of his BON-MOTS have been recorded. When Charles II. had issued his Declaration in 1681, relative to the conduct of the last three parliaments, it became a general fashion throughout England to address or petition the crown. The petitioners being urgent for a new parliament, and not very respectful in their language, and the addresses on the other hand containing the strongest approbation of the late measures of government, Lord Halifax, though then one of the ministry, said,— "that the Petitioners spit in the King's face, but the Addressers spit in his mouth;" a saying which Burnet tells us was much repeated.

Though he strenuously opposed the Bill of Exclusion, and was very instrumental in its being thrown out in the House of Lords, it was then remembered that he had made an hereditary monarchy the subject of his mirth, and had often said, "Who takes a coachman to drive him, because his father was a good coachman ?"-an argument so well suited to the capacities of the lowest of the people, whom the demagogues of the present day are in the habit of haranguing, that it is extraordinary it has never been urged by them, against our present happy establishment; being full as sound, comprehensive, and convincing, as any of the topicks which have been employed by these modern REFORMERS, since the new order of things burst

proper for triumph, when he had overcome all those difficulties which for some years had per

with such baleful splendour upon mankind, and the example and practices of republican France, instead of inspiring her partizans in this country with disgust and horrour, seem only, in their eyes, to have invested the demon of democracy with additional and irresistible attraction.

When Lord Rochester was driven from the office of First Lord of the Treasury, and accepted that of President of the Council, Lord Halifax, who had been instrumental in displacing him, observed, that he had heard of many men being kicked down stairs, but never of any man being kicked up stairs, before.

Soon after the Revolution, several persons of high rank, who had been very zealous and serviceable in bringing about that happy event, but at the same time had no great abilities, applied for some of the most considerable employments in the government. The Marquis of Halifax, being consulted upon this, answered, "I remember to have read in history that Rome was saved by geese, but I do not remember that these geese were made Consuls."This anecdote is recorded by Dr. Maty, who probably derived his information from Dr. Chenevix, Bishop of Waterford, and a friend of Lord Chesterfield, who was grandson to the Marquis. The others are told by Burnet.

"He was a man (says Burnet) of a great and ready wit; full of life, and very pleasant; much turned to satire. He let his wit run much on matters of religion, so that he passed for a bold and determined atheist; though he often protested to me, he was not one, and said, he believed there was not one in the world..

always talking of morality and friendship.

He was

He was

punctual in all payments, and just in all private dealings;