been equal to the work; and your choice of the artificer as happy as your design. Yet, as Phidias, when he had made the statue of Minerva, could not forbear to engrave his own name, as author of the piece; so give me leave to hope, that by subscribing mine to this poem, I may live by the goddess, and transmit my name to posterity by the memory of hers. It is no flattery, to assure your lordship, that she is remembered in the present age by all who have had the honour of her conversation and acquaintance; and that I have never been in any company since the news of her death was first brought me, where they have not extolled her virtues, and even spoken the same things of her in prose, which I have done in verse.

I therefore think myself obliged to your lordship for the commission which you have given me. How I have acquitted myself of it, must be left to the opinion of the world, in spite of any protestation which I can enter against the present age, as incompetent or corrupt judges. For my comfort, they are but Englishmen ; and as such, if they think ill of me to-day, they are inconstant enough to think well of me to-morrow. And, after all, I have not much to thank my fortune that I was born amongst them. The good of both sexes are so few in England, that they stand like exceptions against general rules: and though one of them has deserved a greater commendation than I could give her, they have taken care that I should not tire my pen with frequent exercise on the like

subjects; that praises, like taxes, should be appropriated, and left almost as individual as the person. They say, my talent is satire; if it be so, it is a fruitful age, and there is an extraordinary crop to gather. But a single hand is insufficient for such a harvest. They have sown the dragon's teeth themselves, and it is but just they should reap each other in lampoons. You, my lord, who have the character of honour, though it is not my happiness to know you, may stand aside, with the small remainders of the English nobility, truly such, and unhurt yourselves, behold the mad combat. If I have pleased you and some few others, I have obtained my end. You see, I have disabled myself, like an elected Speaker of the House; yet, like him, I have undertaken the charge; and find the burden sufficiently recompensed by the honour. Be pleased to accept of these my unworthy labours, this paper monument; and let her pious memory, which I am sure is sacred to you, not only plead the pardon of my many faults, but gain me your protection, which is ambitiously sought by,

MY LORD,

Your Lordship's

Most obedient servant,

JOHN DRYDEN.

* The practice of appropriating taxes to particular specifick purposes, was a novelty at this time, having commenced at the Revolution.

CHARACTER

OF

M. ST. EVREMONT.'

I KNOW, how nice an undertaking it is to write of a living author: yet the example of Father Bouhours has somewhat encouraged me in this attempt. Had not Monsieur St. Evremont

66

a

'A Collection of Miscellaneous Essays, translated from the French of Monsieur de St. Evremont, (who was born in 1613, and died in London, where he had lived near thirty years, September 9th, 1703,) was published in 8vo. anonymously, in 1692. To this collection was prefixed A CHARACTER, which is said in the title-page to be written by" a person of honour here in England," who, according to Desmaizeaux, was Dr. Knightly Chetwood; and such probably was the fact, though at that period, by person of honour," was generally meant either the son or brother of a nobleman; and at the end of the character we find the letters-Mr. D. Cha., which are not very easy to decipher. Dr. Chetwood, of whom I shall again have occasion to speak, was an intimate friend of Lord Roscommon, and of our author; and Desmaizeaux wrote so near the time (1706) that he was probably rightly informed.To this character of St. Evremont, by Dr. Chetwood, who was doubtless the translator of the pieces in this volume, Dryden added a supplement longer than the original, which is here given.

been very
considerable in his own country, that
famous jesuit would not have ventured to praise a
person in disgrace with the government of France,
and living here in banishment. Yet in his PENSEES
INGENIEUSES, he has often cited our author's
thoughts and his expressions, as the standard of
judicious thinking, and graceful speaking: an un-
doubted sign that his merit was sufficiently esta-'
blished, when the disfavour of the court could not
prevail against it. There is not only a justness in
his conceptions, which is the foundation of good
writing, but also a purity of language, and a beau-
tiful turn of words, so little understood by modern
writers; and which indeed was found at Rome.
but at the latter end of the Commonwealth, and
ended with Petronius, under the monarchy. If I
durst extend my judgment to particulars, I would
say that our author has determined very nicely in
his opinion of Epicurus; and that what he has
said of his morals, is according to nature, and

reason.

It is true, that as I am a religious admirer of Virgil, I could wish that he had not discovered our father's nakedness. But after all, we must

none of the greatest

confess that Æneas was
heroes, and that Virgil was sensible of it himself.
But what could he do? the Trojan on whom he
was to build the Roman empire, had been already
vanquished; he had lost his country, and was a

* In his Reflections on Segrais' Tranflation of Virgil.