In English , the phrase first appeared in the 17th century in John Dryden 's heroic play , The Conquest of Granada ( 1672 ) , wherein it was used by a Christian prince , believing himself a Spanish Muslim , in reference to himself , but it later became identified with the idealized picture of `` nature 's gentleman '' , which was an aspect of 18th-century sentimentalism .
Although the phrase noble savage first appeared in Dryden 's The Conquest of Granada ( 1672 ) , the idealized picture of `` nature 's gentleman '' was an aspect of eighteenth-century sentimentalism , among other forces at work .