face;" and still more to aggravate the offence, the play was ornamented with sculptures, and sold at an uncommon price. To discourage Settle's petulance, Dryden, in conjunction with Crowne and Shadwell, with whom he was then on amicable terms, in 1674, wrote some Strictures on THE EMPRESS OF MOROCCO, to shew how little the author of that tragedy was entitled to the new rank in which Rochester had placed him. That a man who in his proudest days appears to have been desirous of acquiring fame by the contrivance of a puppet-shew,' and by writing verses for the City Pageants, who finally was sunk so low as to be employed in making machinery for Bartholomew Fair, and in his old age condescended to act in the Droll of ST. GEORGE in a dragon of green leather of his own invention,-that such a man should ever have been the antagonist and rival of Dryden, is so extraordinary, that were not the fact supported by indisputable evidence, it would scarcely be credited. Nothing however, says .Dennis, "is more certain, than that Mr. Settle, who is now [1717] the City Poet, was formerly a poet of the Court. And at what time was he so? Why, in the reign of King Charles the Second, when that Court was more gallant and more polite

2

"In fire-works give him leave to vent his spite,

"These are the only serpents he can write :
"The height of his ambition is, we know,

"But to be master of a puppet-shew."

VOL. I.

Second Part of ABSALOM and ACHITOPHEL.

k

than ever the English Court perhaps had been before when there was at Court the present and the late Duke of Buckingham, the late Earl of Dorset, Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, famous for his wit and poetry, Sir Charles Sidley, Mr. Saville, Mr. Buckley, and several others.

"Mr. Settle's first tragedy, CAMBYSES, KING OF PERSIA, was acted for three weeks together. The second, which was THE EMPRESS OF MOROCco, was acted for a month together, and was in such high esteem both with the Court and Town, that it was acted at Whitehall before the King by the gentlemen and ladies of the Court; and the Prologue, which was spoken by the Lady Betty Howard, was writ by the famous Lord Rochester. The bookseller who printed it, depending upon the prepossession of the town, ventured to distinguish it from all the plays that had been ever pub lished before; for it was the first play that ever was sold in England for two shillings, and the first that ever was printed with cuts. The booksellers. at that time of day had not discovered so much. of the weakness of their gentle readers as they have done since, nor so plainly discovered that fools, like children, are to be drawn in by gewgaws. Well; but what was the event of this great success? Mr. Settle began to grow insolent, as any one may see, who reads the Epistle Dedicatory to THE EMPRESS OF MOROCCO. Mr. Dryden, Mr. Shadwell, and Mr. Crowne, began to grow jealous; and they three in confederacy wrote Remarks on

THE EMPRESS OF MOROCCo. Mr. Settle answered them; and, according to the opinion which the town then had of the matter, (for I have utterly forgot the controversy,) had by much the better of them all. In short, Mr. Settle was then a formidable rival to Mr. Dryden; and I remember very well, that not only the town, but the University of Cambridge, was very much divided in their opinions about the preference that ought to be given to them; and in both places the younger fry inclined to Elkanah."

This account, though in general true, like many others which I have had occasion to examine, is not true in all its parts. Dennis, who was born in 1657, went to Caius College in Cambridge some years after THE EMPRESS OF MOROCCO was first acted,' at which time he was at Harrow school: his relation therefore in some measure must have been grounded upon hearsay. CAMBYSES, instead of being played for three weeks together, was acted only six nights successively and therefore some

3

"Johannes Dennis, Francisci filius, ephippiarii, Londini natus, literisq; gram. institutus per an. sub magistro Ellys, deinde apud Harrowe sub magistro Horne per quinquennium, admissus est Jan. 13, 1675, Pen. Min. in Comm. Scholar. an. natus 18. sub tutelâ Magistri Ellys." Coll. Caii. Regr.

1679. Joh. Dennis, Coll. Caii. Art. Bac. Ibidem.

4 Rosc. ANGL. p. 23. Downes, the author of that book was Prompter to the Duke of York's Company of Comedians, by whom CAMBYSES was acted.

allowance must be made for exaggeration with respect to THE EMPRESS OF MOROCCO. Dennis's testimony, however, is perfectly unexceptionable with regard to the University of Cambridge, of which he became a member in January, 1675-6; and after all abatements, it appears that in London, partly from the protection of Rochester, and partly by the clamour of the party for whom Settle at a subsequent period wrote, he was for several years preposterously elevated into a competition. with Dryden. Rochester, however, soon grew weary of him, and that he might not be too much elated by the recent applause which he had received, in 1675 recommended Crowne to the King to write the Masque of CALISTO, which was performed at Court by the Princesses, Mary and Anne, each of whom sat afterwards on the English throne, and five other ladies; aided by several noblemen, and various performers from the King's Theatre, who joined in the songs and dances."

The persons of this Masque were represented as follows: Calisto, by the Lady Mary; Nyphe, by Lady Anne; Jupiter, by Lady Henrietta Wentworth (for whom the Duke of Monmouth deserted his wife); Juno, by the Countess of Sussex; Psecas, by Lady Mary Mordaunt ; Diana, by Mrs. Blague, late Maid of Honour to the Queen; and Mercury by Mrs. Sarah Jennings, Maid of Honour to the Duchess of York, and afterwards Duchess of Marlborough.

Nymphs attending Diana, and performers in the Dances, the Countess of Derby, the Countess of Pem

The piece was rehearsed and performed near thirty times; and according to the author's account, "the dancing, singing, and musick, which were all in the highest perfection, and the graceful action, incomparable beauty and splendid habits of the princesses, whose lustre received no moderate increase from the beauties and rich habits of those ladies who accompanied them, afforded the spectators extraordinary delight."-By the recommendation of Crowne, Rochester's malice was doubly gratified; for beside mortifying Settle, a marked slight was shewn to Dryden, whose office as Poet Laureate it peculiarly was to compose such entertainments for the Court. His feelings, however, on this occasion did not prevent him from writing an Epilogue, which was intended to have been spoken after the representation of this masque at Court, but which, I suppose by Rochester's interference, was rejected.

Soon afterwards, according to the account given by Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, was written the ESSAY ON SATIRE, which is commonly sup

broke, Lady Catharine Herbert, Mrs. Fitzgerald, and Mrs. Frazer, Maid of Honour to the Queen.

Male Dancers, the Duke of Monmouth, Viscount Dunblaine, Lord Daincourt, Mr. Trevor, Mr. Harpe, Mr. Lane.

Performers from the theatres, who acted in the Prologue and in the Choruses, Mr. Hart, Mr. Turner, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Marsh, jun. Mr. Ford, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Knight, Mrs. Butler.