young men with whom Dryden lived in great intimacy, revised Fletcher's comedy entitled THE PILGRIM, for the company of actors who, after Betterton's departure, continued to play in DruryLane; with whom he stipulated that our author should have the benefit of the third night's performance,' in consideration of his having enriched the piece with a Prologue and Epilogue, a Dialogue between two mad lovers, and other additions. The precise time of its first representation has not been recorded by the writers of theatrical history; nor have I been able to ascertain it, from

It is not easy to ascertain the exact time when this revived play was first performed. Cibber in his APOLOGY, p. 219, says, "it was revived in 1700 for Dryden's benefit, in his declining age and fortune :" and afterwards adds, that "Sir John Vanbrugh, who had given some slight touches of his pen to THE PILGRIM, to assist the benefit-day of Dryden, had the disposal of the parts," and assigned to him that of the stuttering Cook, and the speaking of the Epilogue; and that " Dryden upon hearing him repeat it, made him a further compliment of trusting him with the Prologue also."-From this account it might be presumed that the play was performed in Dryden's life-time, on the day for which I suppose it to have been intended, March 25th, 1700. The last speech, however, of the printed play speaks of him as dead: "I hope, before you go, Sir, you'll share with us an entertainment the late great poet of our age prepared, to celebrate this day. Let the Masque begin."-But even these words are not decisive; for the word late might have been written subsequent to the first representation, and added to the printed copy, which was published on the 18th of June, as appears from the following

the newspapers of the time; but doubtless it was intended to have been produced on the 25th of March, 1700, on which day the new year at that

advertisement in the London Gazette, No. 3610, Monday June 17, 1700:

"To-morrow will be published THE PILGRIM, a comedy, as it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in DruryLane; written originally by Mr. Fletcher, and now very much altered, with several additions: likewise a Prologue, Epilogue, Dialogue, and Masque, written by the late Mr. Dryden, just before his death; being the last of his works. Printed for B. Tooke," &c.

Gildon, in his COMPARISON BETWEEN THE STAGES, published in 1702, says, this play was performed for the benefit of Dryden's son, and that it was brought out after HENRY THE FOURTH and MEASURE FOR MEASURE (which last he himself altered,) had been acted at Lincoln's-Inn Fields. The latter was produced probably in February. After having mentioned the success of HENRY THE FOURTH and HENRY THE EIGHTH, he makes one of the speakers in his Dialogue say, "The battle continued a long time doubtful, and victory hovering over both camps, Betterton solicits for some auxiliaries from the same author, and then he flanks his enemy with MEASURE FOR MEASURE. -Nay then, says the whole party at Drury-Lane, we'll even put THE PILGRIM upon him." 6 Ay, 'faith, so we will,' says Dryden and if you'll let my son have the profits of the third night, I'll give you a Secular Masque.' Done,' says the House; and so the bargain was struck."

One of Curll's authors, in the Memoirs of Mrs. Oldfield published in 1731, says, that "THE PILGRIM was revived for the benefit of Mr. Dryden in Ann. 1700; but he dying on the third night of its representation, his son

time began; for our author, beside the aid already mentioned, furnished the scene with a Secular Masque, introduced at the end of the piece; in which the commencement of the year is particularly mentioned.‘ It is a singular circumstance

attended the run of it, and the advantages accrued to his family." According to this account, its first representation was on Monday the 29th of April. But I do not believe this to have been the case.

"The Masque commences with the following speeches : JANUS. Chronos, Chronos, mend thy pace;

An hundred times the rolling Sun

Around the radiant belt has run,
In his revolving race :

Behold, behold, the goal in sight!

Spread thy fans, and wing thy flight!

Enter CHRONOS, with a scythe in his hand, and a great globe on his back, which he sets down at his entrance. CHRONOS. Weary, weary of my weight,

Let me, let me drop my freight,

And leave the world behind;

I could not bear,

Another year,

The load of human-kind.

The name of the original composer of this Masque is not recorded; but probably Daniel Purcell was employed on this occasion. At a subsequent period, as Dr. Burney mentions, it was set to musick by Dr. Boyce, and performed, in still life, at either the Castle Concert or Hickford's Great Room in Brewer-street. In 1749 it was performed at Drury-Lane Theatre with great success; and the Song sung by Diana, beginning-" With horns and with hounds I waken the day," continued long a popular air.

that Dryden, as well as some other eminent men of that day, should have fallen into the errour respecting the beginning of the century, which has found some partisans in our own time; conceiving that the seventeenth century closed on the 24th of March, 1699, and that the new century began on the following day: in conformity to which notion a splendid Jubilee was celebrated at Rome in the year 1700. By this kind of reckoning, the second century began in the year 100; and the first, in opposition to the decisive evidence furnished by the word itself, consisted of only ninety-nine years! Prior, however, was guilty of the same oversight."

For whatever day this Masque may have been written, it should seem from the last speech of the comedy in which it was introduced, that it was not acted till after Dryden's death. The Prologue and Epilogue, in the former of which he has retaliated on Blackmore, for his recent attack in the

8

7 See his CARMEN SECULARE for the year 1700.

See vol. iii. p. 649.—It is not quite clear, whether a a passage in our author's Preface to his FABLES, in which he speaks of Blackinore's having traduced him in a libel, relates to the SATIRE AGAINST WIT, or to Blackmore's Preface to PRINCE ARTHUR, published in 1695. Dr. Johnson thought it related to the former; and, I believe, was right in his conjecture: for from an advertisement in the POSTBOY, No. 763, February 29, 1699-1700, it appears, that a satirical production entitled "COMMENDA TORY VERSES on the Author of the two ARTHURS, and the SATIRE AGAINST WIT," was then published; THE

VOL. I.

SATIRE AGAINST WIT, have been always numbered among his happiest effusions, and would at any period of his life have been highly admired. It is ä singular circumstance, (which I have learned

SATIRE AGAINST WIT, therefore, probably appeared early in January, two months before the FABLES. The third edition of Blackmore's poem was published April 20, 1700.

"The libel," says Dr. Johnson, in "which Blackmore traduced him, was a SATIRE UPON [AGAINST] WIT; in which, having lamented the exuberance of false wit, and the deficiency of true, he proposes that all wit should be re-coined before it is current, and appoints masters of assay, who shall reject all that is light or debased.

"'Tis true, that when the coarse and worthless dross "Is purg'd away, there will be mighty loss; "Ev'n Congreve, Southerne, manly Wycherley, "When thus refined, will grievous sufferers be: "Into the melting-pot when DRYDEN comes, "What horrid stench will rise, what noisome fumes! "How will he shrink, when all his lewd allay "And wicked mixture shall be purg'd away!"

"Thus stands the passage in the last edition; but in the original there was an abatement of the censure, beginning thus:

"But what remains, will be so pure, 'twill bear "Th' examination of the most severe."

"Blackmore finding the censure resented, and the civility disregarded, ungenerously omitted the softer part. Such variations discover a writer who consults his passions more than his virtue; and it may be reasonably supposed that Dryden imputes his enmity to its true cause:" [his having been a little hard on Blackmore's fanatick patrons in the city of London, in ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL.]