ADDITIONAL LETTERS. (Not published by Scott.) [The six following letters were, as already mentioned, first printed by Mr. Robert Bell in the Life prefixed to his edition of Dryden's Poems. No one of them has a year-date, but most are identifiable with certain times. No. XLIX. must have been written shortly before Walsh's Dialogue (see this volume ante) appeared, that is to say, in or before 1691. L. cannot be dated except by mere guesswork. The next three all belong, from the events mentioned in them, to 1693; but if Mr. Bell intended to keep chronological order, he misplaced LII. ("Yesterday morning") by putting it after LIII., which is dated in December, while Tourville's surprise of Rooke and the Smyrna fleet was known in England in July. The letter from Charles Dryden, with the postscript from his father to Mrs. Steward, may have been written after more than one of several visits to Cotterstock, but it was probably that in September 1699. These letters are, as a rule, rather more interesting than those previously known, the first to Walsh being an excellent example of minute friendly criticism, and the others dealing more with news and subjects of general interest than was Dryden's wont. Macaulay, who is in all hands, will illustrate most of these latter references, if illustration is required.—ED.] LETTER XLIX. TO WILLIAM WALSH, ESQ. You command me Deare Sir, to make a kind of critique on your Essay: tis an hard province; but if I were able to undertake it, possibly, a greater proofe of friendship is scarcely to be found; where to be truly a friend, a man must seeme to exercise a little malice. As it happens, I am now incumberd with some necessary business, relating to one of my Sonns; which when it is over, I shall have more leysure to obey you, in case there appeare any farther need. There is not the least occasion of reflecting on your disposition of the piece, nor the thoughts. I see nothing to censure in either of them. Besides this the style is easy and naturall; as fit for Dialogue, as if you had set Tully before you; and as gallant as Fontenelle in his plurality of Worlds. In the correctness of the English there is not much for me to animadvert. Be pleasd therefore, to avoid the words, don't, can't, shan't, and the like abbreviations of syllables; which seem to me to savour of a little rusticity. As for Pedantry you are not to be taxd with it. I remember I hinted somewhat of concludding your Sentences with prepositions or conjunctions sometimes, which is not elegant, as in your first sentence-(See the consequences of). I find likewise, that you make not a due distinction betwixt that, and who; A man that is not proper; the relative who is proper. That, ought alwayes to signify a thing; who, a person. An acquaintance that wou'd have undertook the business; true English is, an acquaintance who wou'd have undertaken the business. I am confident I need not proceed with these little criticisms, which are rather cavillings. Philareque, or the Critique on Balzac, observes it as a fault in his style, that he has in many places written twenty words together (en suitte) which were all Monosyllables. I observe this in some lines of your Noble Epigramm: and am often guilty of it myselfe through hastinesse. Mr. Waller counted this a vertue of the English tongue, that it cou'd bring so many words of the Teutonique together, and yet the smoothness of the Verse not vitiated. Now I am speaking of your Epigramm, I am sure you will not be offended with me for saying, there is some imperfection in the two last lines. Blend 'em together, Fate, ease both their paine; And of two wretches make one happy man. The word blend includes the sense of together; ease both their paine: paine is Singular, both is Plurall. But indeed paine may have a collective and plurall signification. Then the Rhyme is not full of pain and Man. An half rhyme is not always a fault; but in the close of any paper of verses, tis to be avoyded. And after all, tell me truly, if those words, ease both their paine; were not superfluous in the sence, and onily put, for the sake of the rhyme, and filling up the verse. It came into my head to alter them, and I am affrayd for the worse. Kind Fate, or Fortune, blend them, if you can: And, of two wretches, make one happy man. Kind fate looks a little harsh: fate without an epithet, is always taken in the ill sence. Kind added, changes that signification. (Fati valet hora benigni.) The words (if you can) have almost the same fault I tax'd in your ending of the line: but being better considerd, that is, whether fortune or fate, can alter a Man's temper, who is already so temperd and leaving it doubtfull, I thinke does not prejudice the thought, in the last line. Now I begin, to be in for Cakes and Ale; and why should I not put a quere on those other lines? Poor Shift, does all his whole contrivance set, To spend that wealth he wants the Sence to get. All his whole contrivance, is but all his Contrivance, or his whole Contrivance; thus, one of those words, lookes a little like tautology. Then an ill natur'd man might ask, how he cou'd spend wealth, not having the sence to get it? But this is trifling, in me. For your sence is very intelligible; which is enough to secure it. And, by your favour, so is Martial's Viribus hic non est, hic non est utilis annis and yet in exactness of Criticism, your censure stands good upon him.-I am call'd to dinner, and have onily time to add a great truth; that I am from the bottome of my Soul, Deare Sir, Your most humble Servant and true lover, JOHN DRYDEN. Your apostrophe's to your Mistresse, where you break off the thrid of your discourse, and address youreself to her, are, in my opinion, as fine turnes of gallantry, as I have mett with anywhere. For My Honour'd Friend, William Walsh Esqr. These. LETTER L. TO WILLIAM WALSH, ESQ. MY DEARE PATRON, NOTHING Cou'd please me better, than to know you as well by the endowments of your mind as by those of your person. I knew before this discovery, that you were ingenious but not that you were a Poet and one of the best that these times produce, or the succeeding times can expect. Give me leave not onely to honour, but to love you; and I shall endeavour on my part, to make more advances to you, than you have made to me, who am both by gratitude and by inclination Your most faithfull humble servant, For my Honourd Friend William Walsh, Esq. These. LETTER LI. TO WILLIAM WALSH, ESQ. You may well wonder my Friend, that I have not written to you in so long a time, when I have nothing but laziness to plead in my excuse; which is not nor ought to be a reasonable plea. Yet I cou'd offer another reason for not writeing if my letters were worth excuseing. I am up [to] the Eares in law; and have been for six weekes together. I have been cousend of fifty pounds and more, by one whom I thought my Friend: and am afrayd that at the long run I will rather loose it, and let him go whom I have arrested than prosecute him in the tedious court of Chancery; to do which I must pass through a tedious course of Common Law. But to leave this, there passes nothing in the Town worth your knowing. Durfey has brought another Farce upon the Stage: but his luck has left him it was sufferd but foure dayes; and then kickd off for ever. Yet his second Act was wonderfully diverting; where the scene was in Bedlam: and Mr. Bracegirdle and Solon were mad: the singing was wonderfully good, and the two whom I namd sung better than Redding and Mr. Ayloff, whose trade it was: at least our partiality carryed it for them. The rest was woeful stuff, and conIcluded with Catcalls of which the two noble Dukes of Richmond and St. Albans were chief managers. For other newes 'tis all uncertain, but we all believe that the King of France who was to set out from Versailles on Saturday last is gone for Flanders ; and intends to offer Battle: in order to wch we thinke he will beseige Maestrecht: the country about wch being plaine and open he may poure in his horse upon them; of wch he has fifty thousand, |
