The Irish standard., 1897-02-27

the medium of another people whose lam
from being other than mere limitations
Of those glorious Greeks whom they
vainly sought to rival. He lived to per-
ceive his mistake, and had sincerity and
courage to admit it. But he was then
too old to kindle with adequate fervor
the flame that in his prime he had sup
pressed, or at least discouraged, and
his numerous subsequent dramas, al
though some of them quite superior to
his first, as Annungzebe, All for Love,
others, were notably inferior to
Don Sebastian, the Duke of Guise, and
those in the: era of Queen Elizabeth.
In the year 1868 died Sir William Da-
venant, Poet Laureate. Two years af-
terwards the position, and that OF His
Photographer Royal, which some time
before had become vacant, We're bestow-
ed upon Dryden. They added nothing
to the renown Of one Wno was already
admitted to be the greatest wit of the
age, but became one Of the numerous
evidences OF the meanness inherent in
the Stuart dynasty.
Superior to the dramas are his other
poems OF many kinds and on various
themes. Poor from the start, contin-
uing poor to the end, he wrote, now in
verse, now in prose: odes, fables, and
critical essays. The Ode to St. Cecilia,
commonly known as Alexander's Feast
is above anything Of the sort In Eng
lish On the line of satire nothing In
any tongue s,lrpasses Mac Flecknoe and
Absolom and Achitophel. In the latter
the character of Zimni was meant to per-
senate the Duke of Buckingham, who
had ridiculed Dryden under the name of
Boyes in a play called the Rehearsal
The thrusts made by the resentful poet
cut to the bone
Like other minds with earnest reli-
gious feeling, Dryden for long time
had been beset with anxiety touching
the truest, safest time of religious faith
and action. While in this frame he pro-
duced Tin 16SD the poem Religio lIaici,
intended to defend Holy Scripture
against all enemies, real and imaginary,
such as infidels who denied, Presbyte-
rians who restricted, and those called
Papists, who, as was charged, withheld
and contravened It showed the trav-
all of a great intellect in search Of what
it recognized as essential truth, in the
midst of conditions all conspiring to
obstruct. Search like that, when per-
sistent, is sure, sooner or later, to find
light, and along with it peace. Six
years afterward Q6S7) was published
'the Hind and Panther, which, re-
garded as confession of faith, an ar
gument for dogma, and poem, must
be ranked among the great produc-
tions of literary endeavor. 1t showed
how intently the poet had studied, and
how entirely he had become familiar
with the claims of the Catholic Church;
how thoroughly he had equipped himself
to war in their maintenance how jubi-
lantly grateful in the assurance that he
was not, or ever again could be mlstak-
en- in the guidance by which he was led
In praise of that guidance l quote the
following verses:
But, gracious God, how we'll dost
thou provide
For erring judgments an ucerrlng guide!
Thv throne is darkness in the abyss Of
light,
A blaze of glory that obscured the sight.
Oh, teach me to believe Thee thus con-
cealed,
And search no further than Thyself re-
vealed;
But her alone for my director take,
Whom Thou has promised never to for
sake: ...
My thoughtless youth was winged with
vain desires,
NV manhood, long misled by wander
ing fires,
Followed IalSe lights, dlEu WAoA IACAi
glimpse was gone,
NV pride struck out new sparkles of her
own.
Such was I; such by nature still am;
Be Thine the glory and be mine the
shame?'
Time servers believed on the accession
of William and Mary, that he would re-
nounce the faith 80 late acquired, and
when he did not, he was pelted with
many a. jibe.
In his old age, to the disgrace OF Will
liam and the times, the gift was taken
awav and bestowed upon Shadwell. Ex-
cept for the honor, it had been we'll nigh
empty. The meagre stipend was post
poned to all other expenses. 1t cried to
Heaven that while the Poet Laureate,
the greatest of all in that galaxy, before
and after, was promised, and did not re-
ceiye the salary that could have main
tanned him for few weeks, the unblush-
ing Duchess of Portsmouth, during the
period of her supremacy among the mon
arch's unlawful loves, was paid twelve
thousand pounds sterling a year. James
H.. in some respects meaner than his
brother, took away the perquisite OF the
-~,ho,, Dr.x,dor, of last died at