# The Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose of Mr. Samuel Butler/Volume 1/A Panegyric upon Sir John Denham's Recovery from his Madness

A
PANEGYRIC
UPON
Sir JOHN DENHAM's
Recovery from his Madness.
* ↑ It must surprize the Reader to find a Writer of Butler's Judgment attacking, in so severe and contemptuous a manner, the Character of a Poet so much esteemed as Sir John Denham was. If what he charges him with be true, there is, indeed, some room for Satyr; but still there is such a Spirit of Bitterness runs through the Whole, besides the Cruelty of ridiculing an Infirmity of this Nature, as can be accounted for by nothing but some personal Quarrel or Disgust. How far this Weakness may carry the greatest Geniuses, we have a Proof in what Pope has wrote of Addison.Wood, in his Athenæ, informs us, that Sir John Denham, in the Year 1661, was made Knight of the Bath, and was esteemed by the King for his Ingenuity; but upon some Discontent arising from a Second Match became craz'd for a Time.
* ↑ And now expect far greater Matters of ye,—Than the bought Cooper's Hill, or borrow'd Sophy.] Butler is not singular in the heaviest Part of this Charge, the buying the Cooper's Hill; for I find Sir John accused of the same in a Session of the Poets, printed in Dryden's Miscellanies, Vol. 2d. Then in came Denham, that limping old Bard, Whose Fame on the Sophy and Cooper's Hill stands; And brought many Stationers, who were very hard, That nothing sold better except 'twere his Lands. But Apollo advis'd him to write something more, To clear a Suspicion, which possess'd the Court, That Cooper's Hill, so much bragg'd on before, Was writ by a Vicar, who had Forty Pound for't. What made this Suspicion the more probable, and gave, perhaps, the first Rise to it, was the unpromising Genius which Sir John discover'd at his first Appearance in the World; for the Oxford Antiquary, speaking of him when he was first enter'd in the University, says—"Being look'd upon as a slow and dreaming young Man by his Seniors and Contemporaries, and given more to Cards and Dice, than his Study, they could never then in the least imagine, that he could ever enrich the World with his Fancy, or Issue of his Brain, as he afterwards did."—And afterwards adds—"In 1641 he published the Sophy, which took extremely much, and was admired by all ingenious Men, particularly Edmund Waller, who then said of the Author, that he broke out like the Irish Rebellion, Threescore Thousand strong, when nobody was aware, or in the least suspected it."
* ↑ 19. And Seneca's dry Sand unmixt with Lime—This alludes to what Caligula is recorded by Suetonius to have said of Seneca—"Lenius comptiusque scribendi genus adeo contemnens, ut Senceam tum maxime placentem, commissiones meras componere, et arenam fine calce esse diceret." Vid. Suetonii Calig.
* ↑ 17. Such as your Tully lately drest in Verse.—The Reader will find in Sir John's Works a poetical Translation of Tully de senectute; and may judge for himself how far it is deserving of this Censure.
* ↑ 65, 66. How high might you have liv'd, and play'd, and lost—Yet been no more undone by being chowst, &c.] To justify our Satyrist in this Particular we must have Recourse again to Wood's Athenæ, where it is said of Sir John—"From Trinity College, where he continued about Three Years, he went to Lincoln's Inn, where, though he follow'd his Study close, yet he would game much, and frequent the Company of the unsanctified Crew of Gamesters, who rook'd him sometimes of all he could wrap or get, &c. &c.